Collection context
Summary
- Creator:
- Dodd, Moses Woodruff, 1813-1899., Dodd, Frank H., Mead, Edward S., Van Wagnen, Bleecker., and Dodd, Mead & Company
- Abstract:
- The Dodd, Mead mss., 1855-1992, consists of the author/translator agreements, correspondence, and copyright statements of publisher Dodd, Mead & Company.
- Extent:
- 36.5 linear feet (25 boxes )
- Language:
- Materials are in English
- Preferred citation:
[Item], Dodd, Mead mss., Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
Background
- Biographical / Historical:
Dodd, Mead & Co. was a prominent American publishing house based in New York City. In 1839 Moses W. Dodd formed a joint publishing venture with religious book publisher John S. Taylor. The following year he purchased Taylor's interest in the firm and continued alone until his retirement in 1870. He was succeeded by his son, Frank H. Dodd, who, with his cousin Edward S. Mead, formed the firm Dodd & Mead. A retail department was added to the firm and in 1876 Bleecker Van Wagnen was taken as a partner. The firm was then renamed Dodd, Mead & Company.
Dodd, Mead & Co. Was most famous for its American history and contemporary literature publications. Their most valuable contract was with Agatha Christie, for the rights to publish her books in the United States. Other authors published by Dodd, Mead & Co. included G.K. Chesterton, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Sigmund Freud, William John Locke, and George Bernard Shaw. The company changed hands several times in the 1980s before ceasing all publications in 1990.
- Scope and Content:
The Dodd, Mead mss., ca. 1855-1992, is chiefly composed of author/translator agreements, correspondence, copyright statements, bills, and receipts of publisher Dodd, Mead & Company. Completing the collection is a group of miscellaneous materials including articles on the firm's centenary (1839-1939), printed catalogs, miscellaneous correspondence, and brief printed histories of the firm.
- Acquisition information:
- Purchase: 1993
- Arrangement:
The collection is organized in the following series: I. Authors, Publishers, and Other Correspondents; II. Miscellaneous. Series I is arranged in alphabetical order by author, illustrator, translator, or book series that involve multiple authors. Some materials are filed under the name of the printer, agent or publisher other than Dodd, Mead when a single author cannot be established. Birth and death dates are listed next to authors' names when available.
- Physical location:
- ALF (Auxiliary Library Facility); Wells - Map Case (Box 26)
Indexed Terms
- Subjects:
- Publishers and publishing --United States --19th century.
Publishers and publishing--United States--20th century
Publishers and publishing - Names:
- Dodd, Mead & Company.
Dodd & Mead.
Dodd, Moses Woodruff, 1813-1899 --Correspondence.
Dodd, Frank H. --Correspondence.
Mead, Edward S. --Correspondence.
Van Wagnen, Bleecker --Correspondence.
Access
- RESTRICTIONS:
-
This collection is open for research.
Many collections are housed offsite; retrieval requires advance notice. Please make an appointment a minimum of one week in advance of your visit.
- TERMS OF ACCESS:
-
Photography and digitization may be restricted for some collections. Copyright restrictions may apply. Before publishing, researchers are responsible for securing permission from all applicable rights holders, then filling out the Permission to Publish form.
- PREFERRED CITATION:
-
[Item], Dodd, Mead mss., Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
- CAMPUS:
- Indiana University Bloomington
- LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
-
1200 East Seventh StreetBloomington, Indiana 47405-5500, USA
- CAMPUS:
- Indiana University Bloomington
- CONTACT:
-
(812) 855-2452liblilly@indiana.edu