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Dodd, Mead & Company records

Call Number

MS 171

Date

1720-1986, inclusive

Creator

Dodd, Mead & Company

Extent

47 Linear feet in 53 boxes of various sizes.

Language of Materials

The documents in the collection are in English.

Abstract

The records of book publishers Dodd, Mead & Company consist of the administrative, financial, publicity, and publication records of the organization, with some family photographs and biographical material. The collection is especially rich in author contract summaries, profit/loss calculations for individual titles, printing histories and inventories of titles, and book catalogues. Although books in the collection extend back to 1720 and through the 1800s, the bulk of the collection are business records and these date primarily from the 1890s and into the 1970s, with a few earlier and later.

Biographical / Historical

This collection includes some of the records of Dodd, Mead & Company. The company was founded in 1839 by Moses Woodruff Dodd and John S. Taylor as a publisher of mostly religiously focused texts, commentaries, and sermons. Over time the partners of the Dodd family shifted and the company was reorganized twice before becoming Dodd, Mead & Company in 1876 under Frank Howard Dodd, Edward S. Mead (Dodd's cousin), and Bleeker Van Wagenen. The breadth of their publications also expanded to include contemporary fiction, how to books, encyclopedias (The International Encyclopedia Company was a subsidiary), poetry, historical nonfiction, and many international titles among others. In the 1920s-30s Dodd, Mead expanded, buying several smaller publishing companies. The company was bought as a subsidiary by Thomas Nelson Inc. in 1981, bought again by Gamut Publishing Company in 1986, and finally ceased operations in 1990.

Arrangement

The records are arranged into 6 series:

Series I. Administrative Records, 1877-1972

Series II. Financial Records, 1870s-1981

Series III. Publications Publicity, 1889-1986

Series IV. Publication Records, 1890s-1980s

Series V. Biographical and Company History Documents, 1834-1975

Series VI. Books and Other Publications, 1720-1938

Scope and Contents

The Dodd, Mead & Company collection consists of administrative records, financial records, publicity materials, and publication records. The administrative records include operating files such as board minutes, insurance policies, and salaries. The financial records include mostly stock books, financial reports, and analyses of profits, losses, and operating costs. Publicity materials include catalogues, brochures, and photographs of authors. Publication records consist mostly of copyright cards and other internal documentation related to the company's published works. These records expose the points of expansion within the company and reveal the reorganization and restructuring the company underwent as they evolved and technology progressed. The documents also include many family photographs and miscellaneous clippings and other documents that provide insight into the style and accomplishments of Dodd, Mead's leadership over time. There are also many books from the 19th century (and a few from the 18th century), mostly religious books Dodd, Mead published.

Access Restrictions

Open to qualified researchers.

Materials are stored off-site and advance notice is required for use. Please contact manuscripts@nyhistory.org prior to your research visit to coordinate access. Keep in mind that it will take between two (2) and five (5) business days for collections to arrive, and you should plan your research accordingly.

Use Restrictions

Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff. Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.

Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions

Preferred Citation

The collection should be cited as: Dodd, Mead & Company Records, MS 171, New-York Historical Society.

Location of Materials

Materials are stored off-site and advance notice is required for use. Please contact manuscripts@nyhistory.org prior to your research visit to coordinate access. Keep in mind that it will take between two (2) and five (5) business days for collections to arrive, and you should plan your research accordingly.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The source of the material is uncertain, but appears to have been a gift of Justin G. Schiller, Ltd., circa 1990s.

Related Materials

Dodd, Mead's archives seem to have been somewhat widely dispersed. Some repositories (there may be others) that hold the company's records are:

Indiana University, Lilly Library (Dodd, Mead mss., 1855-1992, LMC 2415)

American Antiquarian Society: https://www.americanantiquarian.org/Findingaids/dodd_mead_company.pdf

University of Delaware Library: Dodd, Mead & Company Archive, 1896-1974, #250) (a small collection with a focus on African-American authors).

Collection processed by

Sydney Bebon & Larry Weimer

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:47:52 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Finding aid written in English

Processing Information

Processed by Sydney Bebon of the Princeton Internships in Community Service (PICS) program in July 2021, with archivist Larry Weimer.

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024