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MESSRS. A SIMPSON &
CO.
RESPECTFULLY ANNOUNCE THAT
THEY HAVE ESTABLISHED A
PUBLISHING HOUSE
AT
60 Duane Street,1
and in connection therewith the AGATHYNIAN PRESS.2
They purpose devoting their energies to the printing
and publication of useful and valuable books, which will be produced in the
highest style of the Typographical Art.
MR. SIMPSON, of this firm, has been the superintendent
of the Bradstreet Press3 from its organization to the
present time, and will have the immediate charge of the Typographical Department
of the house.
Special attention will be given to the publication of
Medical and other Scientific Books, though, at the same time, all the higher
branches of literature will be included.
The attention of American authors is respectfully
invited to the facilities which Messrs. A. SIMPSON & Co. possess for
bringing their works prominently before the public in a beautiful and artistic
form.
Being Printers and Publishers for several Printing
Clubs, and having a large assortment of type of old and modern styles, they will
be enabled to undertake the reprint of old books in fac-simile.
MESSRS. A. SIMPSON & Co. are publishers of the
following periodicals:
- I.—The NEW YORK MEDICAL JOURNAL. A
monthly record of medicine, and the Collateral Sciences. Edited by William
A. Hammond, M.D., and E. S. Dunster, M.D.4
Subscription, $5,00 per annum.
- II.—The QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF
PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE AND MEDICAL JURISPRUDENCE. Edited by William A.
Hammond, M.D. Subscription, $5,00 per annum.
-
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- III.—The Philobiblion. A Bibliographical
Journal, containing critical notices of, and extracts from, rare, curious
and valuable old Books. Edited by George P. Philes.5 This Journal will be
revived in October next. Subscription, $5,00 per annum.
- IV.—The Publications of the AGATHYNIAN
CLUB. Of these, one volume has appeared—the ADVICE TO THE OFFICERS OF
THE BRITISH ARMY;6 and the second, The Proverbs of
Erasmus,7 edited by George P. Philes, is
nearly ready. The third issue, the Works of the famous Antiquary, Polydore
Vergil,8 will be ready October 1st, 1867, and
will be printed at the Agathynian Press. Subscription, $5,00; 120 copies
only will be printed, of which 100 will be for sale. No pains or expense
will be spared to make those publications superior to the first, which
obtained such favorable commendations from the lovers of beautiful
typography.
- V.—The Publications of the DALIAN CLUB.
125 copies only printed. The form is small quarto, the typography of the
very highest excellence. The first issue will be ready September 1st.
ANNOUNCEMENTS.
Messrs. A. SIMPSON & Co. respectfully announce for
early publication, the following works by Foreign and American Authors:
GENERAL SCIENCE
I.
- METEORS, AËROLITES, AND FALLING STARS.
By T. L. Phipson,9 Doctor of Science,
etc.
- An admirable little work, written in simple
language, and treating of a most interesting department of
science.
II.
- GEOLOGY FOR GENERAL READERS. A series of
Popular Sketches in Geology and Palæontology. By David Page,10 F.R.S.E., etc.
- In this work the author has endeavored to
produce a treatise which every intelligent person can understand. It
should find a place in every library, large and small.
III.
- POPULAR LECTURES ON FOOD. By E.
Lankester,11 M.D., F.R.S., etc.
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IV.
- THE USES OF ANIMALS IN RELATION TO THE
INDUSTRY OF MAN. By E. Lankester, M.D., etc.
- Both the above works are exceedingly
interesting and instructive, and are freely illustrated.
V.
- THE REASONING POWER IN ANIMALS. By the Rev.
John Selby Watson.12
VI.
- PHYSIOLOGY AT THE FARM, IN AID OF REARING
AND FEEDING THE LIVE STOCK. By William Seller, M.D.,13 etc., and Henry
Stephens.14 A book for every Farmer and Rearer of Cattle.
-
MEDICAL SCIENCE.
I.
- BELLEVUE AND CHARITY HOSPITAL REPORTS. A
collection of monographs by Physicians and Surgeons of these great
hospitals, and by other medical gentlemen of eminence, similar in
general scope to Guy's Hospital and other English Hospital Reports, to
be published on the 1st of January of each year. The first volume is now
in preparation, and will be published January 1st, 1868. Subscriptions
will be received by the undersigned. Price to subscribers, $5,00; to
all others, $6,00. A limited edition only will be printed.
II.
- A MANUAL OF MINOR SURGERY AND SURGICAL
DRESSINGS. By James L. Little, M.D., Lecturer on Operative Surgery and
Surgical Dressings in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York.
(In preparation.)
III.
- A TREATISE ON EMOTIONAL DISORDERS OF THE
SYMPATHETIC SYSTEM OF NERVES. By William Murray, M.D.,15 etc. (In
press.)
IV.
- LIGHT; ITS INFLUENCE ON LIFE AND HEALTH.
By Forbes Winslow, M.D. (In press.)
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V.
- A TREATISE ON MELANCHOLY. From the French
of Dr. E. Du Vivier.
BELLES LETTRES AND GENERAL LITERATURE.
I.
- POEMS By F. S. Cozzens,16 author of the "Sparrowgrass Papers," etc. (In
preparation.)
II.
- THE SAYINGS OF DR. BUSHWHACKER, AND OTHER
LEARNED MEN; By F. S. Cozzens, (author of the Sparrowgrass Papers) et
al. (In press.)
III.
- POEMS FROM THE PORTUGUESE OF LUIS DE
CAMOENS;17 with Remarks on his Life and Writings. By Lord Viscount
Strangford. (In press.)
IV.
- GALILEO.18 HIS
LIFE, HIS DISCOVERIES, AND HIS WORKS. From the French of Dr. Max
Parchappe.
(In preparation.)
A. SIMPSON & CO.,
PRINTERS & PUBLISHERS,
No. 60 DUANE ST, NEW YORK.19
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Correspondent:
Abraham Simpson, while working
for J. M. Bradstreet & Son, had supervised the binding of Drum-Taps (see Whitman's May 2, 1865,
letter to Peter Eckler). Simpson wrote on May 10,
1867, that he was going into business for himself and was interested
in publishing Whitman's next book: "Hearing you are writing another book [I]
would like to print and publish it for you and will give you better advantages
than any other publishing house . . . One of my reasons for securing your
friendship is my appreciation for you as a man, well knowing your life has been
devoted to help along those most in need of your assistance." On May 31, 1867, Simpson informed Whitman that "we
have established a Ptng & Publishing House." But, in his July 3, 1867, letter, he advised Whitman that after
consultation "with several eminent literary men . . . though we are favorably
impressed, . . . we deem it injudicious to commit ourselves to its publication
at the present time."
Notes
- 1. This letter is addressed:
Walt Whitman Esq | Washington | DC. It is postmarked: Carrier | AUG | 19 | 7
P.M. [back]
- 2. In 1866, Dr. William A. Hammond
(1828–1900), F. S. Hoffman, and "Abe" Simpson joined with B. W. Bond (of
the publishing firm Moorhead, Simpson & Bond) to form the Agathynian Club,
which printed both original works and reprints with an interest in typographical
innovation. The Club produced periodicals, as well as reprints of rare, curious,
and old American, English, French, and Latin books (American
Literary Gazette and Publishers Circular [Philadelphia: George W.
Childs, Publisher, No. 600 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, July 1, 1867],
9:136). While preparing the Agathynian Club's second volume, a fire destroyed
the Bradstreet book-bindery, all 150 copies of the Club's second volume, and by
extension the Club itself, which folded in 1868 when Hammond elected to focus on
his medical practice. For more information on the Club, see Adolf Growell, "The
Agathynian Club (1866–1868)," American Book Clubs: Their
Beginnings and History, and a Bibliography of their Publications (New
York: Dodd, Mead, and Company, 1897), 145–151. [back]
- 3. J. M. Bradstreet & Son, publishers located at 18
Beekman Street, New York, published Drum-Taps. [back]
- 4. Edward S. Dunster (1837–1888)
became a Professor of Obstetrics at the University of Michigan. [back]
- 5. George P. Philes (1828–1913) was
a linguist and bibliographer from New York. [back]
- 6. Francis Grose (1731?–1791)
was an English antiquary and writer of several books on the subject of antiques.
Grose's membership in the Surrey regiment earned him the title of captain in
1766, which he adopted as an informal title as well. Grose was the anonymous
author of Advice to the Officers of the British Army: With the
addition of some Hints to the Drummer and Private Soldier (1783), which
satirized British conduct in the American Revolutionary War. [back]
- 7. Desiderius Erasmus
(1467–1536) was a Renaissance scholar and theologian. [back]
- 8. Polydore Vergil or simply
Virgil (?–1555), an Italian priest and scholar. [back]
- 9. T. L. (Thomas Lamb) Phipson
(1833–1908) was a British author who wrote wide ranging works on
scientific theory and discovery. [back]
- 10. David Page (1814–1879)
was a widely celebrated Scottish geologist and scientific author of the nineteenth
century. President of the Edinburgh Geological Society, Page's pursuit for
knowledge and academia in his field came about naturally, when after completing
divinity school as a teen and in lieu of joining the ministry, he went to work
in scientific lecturing and journalism. [back]
- 11. Sir Edwin Ray Lankester
(1847–1929) was a British zoologist. He was the third Director of the
Natural History Museum, London. [back]
- 12. John Selby Watson
(1804–1884) was a British classical translator and deacon; he later pleaded
insanity for the murder of his wife, Anne Armstrong. Prior to his crime and
life imprisonment, Watson was the headmaster of Stockwell Grammar School and
garnered respect as a scholar and translator. Watson was also ordained as a deacon by
the Bishop of Ely in 1839. He wrote biographies and religious works, in addition
to the volume Reasoning Power in Animals (1867). [back]
- 13. William Seller (1798–1869)
was a physician from Edinburgh and a former editor of the Edinburgh Medical
Journal. [back]
- 14. Henry Stephens
(1795–1874) was a Scottish farmer, meteorologist, and agricultural author.
During his tour across continental Europe between 1818 and 1819, Stephens
gathered intel of agricultural techniques among various plats of land, aiming to
advance agricultural methods. In lieu of farming, during the latter part of his
life Stephens devoted his time to writing and publishing materials centered on
the advancement of farming practice and educating the general public on the
basic principles of agricultural science. His book, The Book
of the Farm (1841) was revolutionary in execution, lauded as a standard
reference work and farming manual. Physiology at the Farm, in
Aid of Rearing and Feeding the Live Stock (1867) was authored with
William Sellers, M.D., and focused on animal nutrition. [back]
- 15. William Murray was
a physician who wrote about the nervous system and treatment of aneurism. [back]
- 16. Frederic Swartwout Cozzens (1818–1869) was a
New York humorist and author of The Sayings of Dr.
Bushwhacker, and Other Learned Men (sometimes spelled "Bushwacker"), an
1867 collection of essays, Prismatics (written under the
pseudonym Richard Haywarde) and The Sparrowgrass Papers,
a humorous account of a city man running a country home. [back]
- 17. The Portuguese poet Luis de Camões (d. 1580),
sometimes Anglicized as Camoens, is considered the most important poet of the Portuguese language. [back]
- 18. Galileo
Galilei (1564–1642), Italian astronomer and physicist. [back]
- 19. Enclosed in this letter is a
return envelope addressed to the Agathynian Club at 18 Beekman Street, New
York. [back]