Can this hymn book really be from 1947?
Asked by
Jack79 (
11027
)
November 3rd, 2009
Remember when a couple of months ago someone asked a question about losing something and finding it again? Well anyway, I’d lost this hymn book I had as a child, then found it again. Then lost it again and then found it tonight. Weird, innit?
But my question is something different. Looking through it I realised it was not originally mine as I had always thought. I thought I got it at school in England or something, but today I saw that it has the name and address of a little girl in Lancashire, Pa, and must have been much older. It probably ended up at my parents’ school somehow (maybe the girl was a student there?) and I guess that’s how I got it.
Now, trying to figure out how old this book is (I always assumed it was from 1970 or so) I only found two copyright notices: one was from 1928 and the other (for the particular reprint) from 1947. But the book itself is colourful and seems too fancy for a post-war publication.
My only other clue is that it cost 25c at the time. It’s a Walt Disney publication by Golden Press, New York, and belongs to the “Golden Books” series. It’s just entitled “Hymns” and has 14 Christian Hymns with colours and pictures and so on.
I don’t expect anyone to have a copy, but could this book really be that old? Where could I find that sort of information? Does anyone remember the time when little coloured books like that would cost around 25c?
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19 Answers
I think I might have that book. Is it the ones with the girls on the cover?
I still have a Golden Book titled “The littlest Angel” from when I was a child and I was born in 1958. It is in color and has 25 cents on it also, so I think it could be that old.
wow! Yes gem, that’s the one!
but could they print that well back in 1947?
I asked Hubbs (Masters in Library Science) and this is what I’ve got so far-
There is a date of copyright that is followed by the date of the original printing. He wants to know if there is a line that says something like ‘1st printing’ or ‘3rd edition’ on the page anywhere.
nope, nothing like that
Just “Copyright 1947 by Golden Press, Inc. all rights reserved blah blah blah”
He thinks that it could be from the 47 then. He’s not 100% sure about children’s literature. Does it have an ISBN or Library of Congress number?
no, nothing like that.It’s just one page which lists all the songs with their copyright owners (mentioning only one date, 1928). And at the bottom the 1947 one.
In the back it advertises other books in the series. “The Littlest Angel” is not in there, so it might be before 1958 then. But there are numbers missing, so they might simply not be advertising everything. List starts from “21.Tootle” and ends with “D89.The Lucky Puppy”. That’s also the page where it mentions Disney Books, but has no date next to©.
My own gut instinct is to go by the amount the book was selling for. In what I’ve found so far- from 1942 till 1950 they were around 25 cents. The price goes up from there. Personally I think you have quite an old book.
Hubbs wants me to point out that the copyright is for the material itself- not necesarrily the printing. I am a bad typist it seems.
That’s also what I thought, which is why I posted the question. Usually there is some sort of original© date, and then the various reprints listed.
What made me think it could not be that old is the pictures, which seem nicer than what I’d expect to see in a 1947 book, what with the war just over and all. I didn’t even think the technology existed. Not for 25c a piece anyway. It’s the same priniting quality as the schoolbooks we had in the 70s.
Anyway, thanks for the answers. Weird story behind that book…
Hubbs says that the original name of Golden Books was- Western Printing and Lithography Comapny, Wisconsin. That would make more sense wouldn’t it? They would have had a lot of this technology and colors in house already.
I had the Lucky Puppy, and I was born in 1957. The book would have been purchased for me between 1957 and 1964.
@PandoraBoxx yup, the exact one, it also has that #392 somewhere :)
I love when these threads pan out where someone can help someone else. I get all warm and fuzzy. :)
According to AddAll the 1947 edition had 26 songs in it. How many songs does yours have in it? Later editions were abridged to only 14 songs.
I also know that by 1978 there had been 15 printings of the book (and the cover price was 59 cents). Then in 1985 it was republished with new illustrations by Frances Score Mitchell, replacing the original illustrations by Corinne Malvern.
And, BTW, ISBN numbers didn’t come into existence until the mid 1960’s, so if it has an ISBN then it would be a much newer book than 1947.
@Darwin yes, this only has 14. Weird that they didn’t put the edition year on it though
Flutherites: I’m really impressed with these answers. I didn’t expect anything more than “when I was young books cost around a dollar”.
Well, when I was young, Nancy Drew books cost $2.50.
And then there is this:
Little Golden Books Average Cost:
25¢ (1942)
25¢ (1952)
29¢ (1962)
39¢ (1968)
59¢ (1977)
89¢ (1982)
99¢ (1986)
$2.99 (2001)
Thus your copy must be dated between 1947 and 1961, but since it has only 14 stories it must be later than the 1947 first edition.
Little Golden Books Timeline
Little Golden Books History
Oh shit, I loved The Lucky Puppy.
Little Golden Books are win. I have nothing to add, I just love this thread cause it reminded me of when I was five and in love with my gold bound shelf of books. <3
Edit: HOLY CRAP. I do have the Hymns one, I didn’t realize it until I saw the link. High five!
I always liked The Saggy Baggy Elephant and this was generations before pants were worn low!
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