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Frederick A. Stokes

Frederick Abbott Stokes (November 4, 1857 – November 15, 1939) was an American publisher, founder and long-time head of the eponymous Frederick A. Stokes Company.[1][2]

Frederick A. Stokes
Publicity photo portrait, 1932
Born(1857-11-04)November 4, 1857
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedNovember 15, 1939(1939-11-15) (aged 82)
Manhattan, New York City[1][2]
NationalityAmerican
OccupationPublisher
Known forPublishing Frank Buck and James Branch Cabell
SpouseEllen Colby Stokes

Biography

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Stokes graduated from Yale Law School in 1879. He worked at Dodd, Mead and Company for a year and in 1881 established White & Stokes, a partnership that became the Frederick A. Stokes Company in 1890. The Stokes businesses published more than 3,000 books in his 58 years, 1881 to 1939.[1]

Stokes published established writers such as Frances Hodgson Burnett, Frank Buck, and Stephen Crane. He also published beginning writers such as James Branch Cabell, Maria Montessori, and Percival Wren. Best sellers included: The Story of Ferdinand, On Jungle Trails, Doctor Dolittle, When Worlds Collide, Guys and Dolls, and The Story of Little Black Sambo.[2] Stokes was also known for publishing high quality art and children's books, such as "The Glue Books", a popular 17-volume series beginning with The House That Glue Built in 1905.[3]

Stokes was an opponent of the new Book Clubs of the 1920s, and of modern advertising methods such as billboards and radio ads.

Stokes died 1939, at age 82, in his home at 344 West 72nd Street, Manhattan.[1][2] Many prominent people from the book industry attended his funeral service at the Church of the Incarnation (Episcopal). He was buried at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.[4]

Stokes left the publishing company to his sons Horace Winston and Frederick Brett, who were then the company treasurer and secretary.[2] J. B. Lippincott acquired it in 1943.

Authors

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Authors' names are followed by dates of their known association with Frederick A. Stokes.

Writers

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Illustrators

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Book series

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  • The Augustan Books of English Poetry
  • The Augustan Books of Modern Poetry
  • British Artists[10]
  • Collectors[10]
  • Distinguished American Artists[10]
  • The Glue Books[3]
  • Library of Fiction
  • Library of Irish Literature
  • Masterpieces on Color[10]
  • Nations of the Modern World (jointly published with Ernest Benn, London)[11]
  • Nautilus Library[12]
  • Rescue Series[13]
  • Romance of Reality
  • Thistle Library
  • Twentieth Century Series[14]
  • Vignette Edition[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "F. A. Stokes, 82, Book Publisher 58 Years, Dies". New York Herald Tribune. November 17, 1939. p. 18.
  2. ^ a b c d e "F. A. Stokes Dead; Book Publisher, 82."The New York Times. November 17, 1939. p. 21.
  3. ^ a b c d Jackson, C. D. (2010). "From the Collection: With Paper and Glue: Building the Commercial Success of an Arts and Crafts Toy". Winterthur Portfolio 44 (4): 351–386. doi:10.1086/657113.
  4. ^ "Many Publishers at F. A. Stokes Rites". The New York Times. November 19, 1939. p. 38.
  5. ^ Hay, Elizabeth (1981). Sambo Sahib: the Story of Little Black Sambo and Helen Bannerman. Totowa, NJ: Barnes & Noble. p. 31. ISBN 0389201510.
  6. ^ Lingeman, Richard R. (2002). Sinclair Lewis: Rebel from Main Street. Minnesota Historical Society. pp. 39, 58. ISBN 9780873515412.
  7. ^ "Catalog Search Results | Hathi Trust Digital Library". catalog.hathitrust.org.
  8. ^ Scribner's Magazine. Vol. XIV, July–December 1893. Charles Scribner's Sons. p. 18. [1]
  9. ^ Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (New York: Frederick A. Stokes Co., 1904); Lucy Maud Montgomery, Emily's Quest (New York: Frederick A. Stokes Co., 1927)
  10. ^ a b c d George Thomas Kurian, The Directory of American Book Publishing: From Founding Fathers to Today's Conglomerates, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1975, p. 40. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  11. ^ se:Nations of the Modern World, worldcat.org. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  12. ^ Nautilus Library, seriesofseries.com. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  13. ^ Rescue Series, seriesofseries.com. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  14. ^ "Twentieth Century Series" + Frederick A Stokes, worldcat.org. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  15. ^ Vignette Edition, seriesofseries.com. Retrieved 4 January 2024.

Further reading

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  • Frederick A. Stokes Company, The House of Stokes, 1881–1926: A Record, New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1926.
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