Horace E Scudder HENRY OSCAR HOUGHTON A BIOGRAPHICAL OUTLINE 1897 Signed H O Houghton Jr Frontispiece Portrait Illustrated Hurd & Houghton Riverside Press American Publisher Charles River Cambridge Massachusetts Printer

Title: Henry Oscar Houghton: A Biographical Outline
Author: Horace E. Scudder - Horace Elisha Scudder was an American man of letters and editor. Scudder is now best known for his children's books and the editorship he held of The Atlantic Monthly. He published the Bodley Books (1875–87) and was also an essayist, and produced large quantities of journalism that was printed anonymously. He was a correspondent of Hans Christian Andersen and biographer of James Russell Lowell. Scudder edited The Riverside Magazine for Young People: An Illustrated Monthly (1867 to 1870), where several Andersen fairy tales were published for the first time. Scudder also prepared, with Mrs. Taylor, the Life and Letters of Bayard Taylor (1884) and was series editor for the extensive "American Commonwealths Series" as well as the "Riverside Literature Series" for Houghton Mifflin, where he also worked as literary advisor for several years.

Scudder may have been most famous for his 1884 work A History of the United States of America Preceded By a Narrative of the Discovery and Settlement of North America and of the Events Which Led to the Independence of the Thirteen English Colonies for the Use of Schools and Academies, which long set the standard for American history textbooks.

Publisher: Printed at the Riverside Press
City: Cambridge
Year: 1897
Binding Style: Hardcover
Pagination: 160 pages
Width: 6.25" Height: 9"
Book Details: This antique volume is bound in gray paper and cream cloth with gilt lettering, design and top-edge gilt. A tissue-guarded frontispiece portrait and numerous others appear throughout the text. A plate that reads: “With the Compliments of The Children of Henry O. Houghton†is affixed to the front pastedown endpaper. The front free endpaper is inscribed and signed by H. O. Houghton, Jr., the son of Henry O. Houghton.

Henry Oscar Houghton (30 April 1823 – 25 August 1895) was an American publisher, co-founder of Houghton Mifflin, and a mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

At age thirteen, he started working as an apprentice at The Burlington Free Press, where he became a typesetter. After graduation from the University of Vermont, he moved to Boston to work first as a reporter, then proofreader. He then joined a small Cambridge firm, Freeman & Bolles, that typeset and printed books for Little, Brown and Company. At age 25, he became a partner, and in 1849, the company was renamed Bolles and Houghton. After Bolles left, he took on full responsibility. In 1852, Houghton moved the business to beside the Charles River, renaming it the Riverside Press.

Before the Riverside Press, American books had generally been printed with poor ink on cheap paper. Houghton insisted on much higher quality; his motto was "Do it well or not at all". The result was very successful. He became the main printer for publishers Ticknor and Fields, and, in 1863, was engaged by G. & C. Merriam Company to print and bind their new dictionary.

In 1864, Houghton formed a partnership with Melancthon M. Hurd, a New York publisher. Hurd & Houghton was a quick success, and within three years, the company increased its workforce from 90 to 300 employees. George Harrison Mifflin (1845–1921) became a partner in 1872 and, when Houghton became mayor of Cambridge, Mifflin succeeded him as lead partner. In 1878, when Hurd retired, Houghton joined with James R. Osgood, formerly of Ticknor and Fields, to create Houghton, Osgood and Company. Lawson Valentine would become the third partner and provide $200,000 in fresh capital. The firm was plagued by personal debts from Osgood. The firm dissolved and in 1880 Houghton and Mifflin formed Houghton, Mifflin and Company.
Condition / Notes: This antique volume displays some indications of age and wear including shelfwear and rubbing, with mild soiling to the boards. The front hinge is slightly cracked, with the front free endpaper detached. The binding and text block are otherwise sound. Text and illustrations remain clear and legible through uniform mild age toning.

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