Talk:George H. Doran Company

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Is it George H. Doran or George F. Doran? I have a copy of Somerset Maugham's "Of Human Bondage" and it says, "copyright, 1915, by the George F. Doran Co."


I have recently found a book published in 1919 by the George H. Doran Company of "The Moon And Sixpence" by Somerset Maugham. I know very little to nothing about book collecting or values. Is it worth anything to a collector., does anybody know how I may find out ? I have a large cache of vintage/antique books. Are there interests in these? I guess the real question is: Will anybody ever read this ? ? ?

Thanks to whomever it is that corresponds ! tim-tremblay@hotmail.com


It's some 1 1/2 years since the previous post (now 8/17), and YES!- someone has read it. However, my reason is not necessarily to seek value information for an early edition of mine, but to hone in on some related questions regarding the publishers history and publication facilities. I've seen on other Wiki's the Bio of George H. Doran. It says he was born in Toronto and moved to NY, starting the publishing company in New York in 1908. The company merged with Double-Day in 1927. No indication as to how many presses/binderies Doran owned, managed, or contracted with prior to that time, or how extensive his business relationships in England were during his frequent moves back and forth. I also have an early printing (from GFD Co.) but with an unknown publication date. The Wiki citing says that there are inconsistencies in title page and edition identification in early printings between the founding and into the mid 1920's. I assume this was standardized with the merger, but does make it hard to nail down exactly where and when this edition was printed. I can't find any authorative reference to the title online, but it's title page clearly states that it was published by the New York George H. Doran Company. One otherwise notable point is that it says it was published in England (no date). This book appears to be somewhat rare. It is "The Complete Works of Shakspere", Avon edition, with forward by Edward Dowden LL.D. (1843-1913)[1]; Professor of English Literature in the University of Dublin. This version appears to be a text book compiled specifically for the consumption of an "Oxfordian" audience [denoted by the spelling of "Shakspere" in the title], perhaps even pupils of Dowden himself. With this history and lack of date information on the title page, I'm assuming this edition was printed sometime between 1908 and 1913 for a UK university audience. It is very well indexed. Perhaps a knowledgeable source can fill in the blanks. Did the George H. Doran Company of New York become attractive to Double-Day due to their international relationships with printing houses and learning institutions, thereby providing a source of off-shore revenue from the need to supply new students with locally edited and printed text books? If available, a listing of print houses and binderies managed or associated with the GFD Co. during those early years would be very helpful. Thanks in advance to anyone - if ever - reads this. Particularly if you can shed light on actual printing date and location for this book... sgsutton@pacbell.net — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.225.128.121 (talk) 00:47, 31 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]

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