The Riverside Press is one of those glorious linking institutions that bridges the gap between the early days of the independent printer/publisher, and the contemporary era of large, multi-national publishing houses. They have managed to weather the storms of fate, it seems, by producing high quality first editions, as well as being what some might argue as 'a jobbing book printer' which specialized in academia and education. It is a credit to the founder and the guiding team over the years who have managed to steer their company into newer waters, without sacrificing the diligence to perfection required for a fine print publisher.
The Riverside Press was born primarily from the efforts of Henry Oscar Houghton - a career bibliophile who first worked as a typesetter in one of the small independent papers in 1850's New England. This period of time, just before the birth of modernism and the onslaught of industrialisation, saw many smaller printer/publishers rise across America, most associated with either town newspaper, a gentleman's club or university. Houghton moved on to work as a typesetter and book printer for no less than Little, Brown, and Company (one of the biggest book publishers of their day and the present), before starting his own book printing press in Massachusetts, near the Charles river; hence the name Riverside Press. The Riverside Press was joined in 1872 by George Harrison Miflin, and together the two men later re-created the firm as Houghton, Miflin and Company (still in existence today, primarily as an academic publishers).
The Riverside Press had such a long career that it could almost be said to be still a 'wide open field' for the book collector. As a jobbing printer, the book press was commissioned for many fine special editions by larger companies, and of these you may find Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Nathanial Hawthorne's Complete Collected Works, the Complete Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley for example, all for between a few hundred to a thousand dollars.
For the serious collector however, the great opportunity of the Riverside Press is in its degree of academic specialisms: there are truly unique texts to be found dating back right to the later nineteenth century on such historical topics as the regiments of the American Civil War, studies of New England water courses, natural world, or the lives of little-known poets, surveyors, and political figures. While these smaller works would perhaps be of interest to very few, it is my opinion that they provide a wonderful insight into late nineteenth century printing and academic life, and would be of immense value to the dedicated researcher.
http://www.riversidepublishing.com/about/history.html
Wilder, Burt G. On Morphology And Teleology. Riverside Press (1865). Especially in the Limbs of Mammalia; 65 copies
Waite, C. V. Mrs. The Mormon Prophet And His Harem. Riverside Press (1867). Or, An Authentic History of Brigham Young, His Numerous Wives and Children
Stephens, Henry Louis. The Treasury Of Fairy Stories. Riverside Press (1867). with Original Illustrations by HL Stephens Printed in Oil Colors by J Bien; 18 chromolithograph plates
Piatt, John James. Landmarks And Other Poems By John James Piatt. Riverside Press (1872).
Chaffa, Sara Genevra. Napoleon Bonaparte And Other Poems. Riverside Press (1872).
Jenness, John Scribner. The Isles Of Shoals.. Riverside Press (1873). An Historical Sketch. Three folding maps, including a reproduction of the 1614 John Smith map.
Freeman, Frederick. Civilization And Barbarism. Riverside Press (1878). Illustrated by Especial, Reference to Metacomet and the Extinction of his Race
Holmes, Oliver Wendell. John Lothrop Motley: A Memoir.. Riverside Press (1879).
Scott, Sir Walter. The Poetical Works Of Sir Walter Scott. Riverside Press (1880).
Holmes, Oliver Wendell. Address Delivered At The Dedication Of The Hall Of The Boston Medical Library Association. Riverside Press (1881). on December III, MDCCCLXXVIII.Report of the Librarian James R. Chadwick
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Complete Works. Riverside Press (1883). of Nathal Hawthorne; 13 vols; Riverside Edition; introductory notes by George Parsons Lathrop; 250 copies
Larcom, Lucy. Wheaton Seminary: A Semi-Centennial Sketch. Riverside Press (1885).
Holmes, Oliver Wendell. The Last Leaf: Poem. Riverside Press (1886). [and] The History of This Poem. / by Oliver Wendell Holmes. Illustrated by George Wharton Edwards and F. Hopkinson Smith; 100 signed Large Paper copies.
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. The Writings Of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Riverside Press (1886). With Bibliographical and Critical Notes (including Longfellows Translation of The Divine Comedy), Large Paper Edition in Eleven Volumes; 500 copies
Whittier, John Greenleaf. The Writings Of John Greenleaf Whittier.. Riverside Press (1888). 7 vols deluxe large paper edition, 400 copies
Whittier, John Greenleaf. The Writings Of John Greenleaf Whittier.. Riverside Press (1888). Large Paper Edition, Limited to 400 Copies Nine Volumes. Originally seven volumes, with the addition of the Life and Letters in an edition of 750 copies.
Thompson, S. Millett. Thirteenth Regiment Of New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry In The War Of The Rebellion, 1861-1865. Riverside Press (1888). A Diary Covering Three Years and a Day; several illustrations of camps, battlefields, places, maps and charts and a complete roster
Winsor, Justin. Narrative And Critical History Of America. Riverside Press (1889). Edited By Justin Winsor Complete In 8 Volumes Contents; Aboriginal America; Spanish Explorations And Settlements; English and French Explorations And Settlements; The English And French In North America, 1689-1763; 550 copies
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Marble Faun. Riverside Press (1889). or, the Romance of Mont Beni, Illustrated with Photogravures; In Two Volumes; 150 copies
Whittier, John Greenleaf. At Sundown.. Riverside Press (1890). Tipped in facsimile autograph; 277 copies.
Lowell, James Russell. The Writings Of James Russell Lowell. Riverside Press (1890). 16 volumes; 300 large paper copies
Gammell, William. William Gammell. Riverside Press (1890). A Biographical Sketch, With Selections From His Writings; and Murray, James Ormsbee, Ed.
Stiya. Riverside Press (1891). A Carlisle Indian Girl at Home Founded on the Author's Actual Observations.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Complete Works Of Nathaniel Hawthorne,. Riverside Press (1891). With Introductory Notes By George Parsons Lathrop And Nathaniel Hawthorne And His Wife A Biography By Julian Hawthorne. Illustrated With Etchings And Engravings On Steel, 15Vols.
Holmes, Oliver Wendell. The Writings Of Oliver Wendell Holmes. Riverside Press (1891). 16 vols; large paper edition; 275 copies
Jewett, Sarah Orne. A Memorial Of The One Hundredth Anniversary Of The Founding Of Berwick Academy. Riverside Press (1892). South Berwick, Maine July First, 1891; Sarah Orne Jewett, editor; 1,000 copies
Whittier, John Greenleaf. At Sundown. Riverside Press (1892). Second Edition, with 7 additional poems; illustrated by E.H. Garrett; large paper issue; 250 numbered copies
Thoreau, Henry D. Autumn: From The Journal Of Henry D. Thoreau. Riverside Press (1892). Blake, H.G.O., editor; 500 copies
The Complete Poetical Works Of Percy Bysshe Shelley. Riverside Press (1892). George Edward Woodberry (editor); The Text Newly Collated and Edited with a Memoir and Notes By GEW - 8 Volumes (Large Paper Edition); 250 copies
Holmes, Oliver Wendell. Dorothy Q. Riverside Press (1893). Together with A Ballad of the Boston Tea Party and Grandmothers Story of Bunker Hill; illustrations by Howard Pyle; 250 copies; First issue, first editions haveflashed rather thanlashed on page 50, line 8
Collingwood, W. G. The Life And Work Of John Ruskin. Riverside Press (1893). 2 vols; 200 copies
Jewett, Sarah Orne. Deephaven. Riverside Press (1894). Illustrated by Charles and Marcia Woodbury; 250 copies numbered in red on the verso of the title page; eight-page Preface by the author added for this edition
Hearn, Lafcadio. Glimpses Of Unfamiliar Japan.. Riverside Press (1894). 2 volumes
Whitley, H. C. In It. Riverside Press (1894). Late Chief of the Secret Service Division of the United States Treasury
Holmes, Oliver Wendell. The Autocrat At The Breakfast-Table. Riverside Press (1894). With Illustrations by Howard Pyle; 2 vols; 250 numbered copies
Deland, Margaret Wade Campbell. The Old Garden. Riverside Press (1894). Crane, Walter illustrator; And Other Verses;
Bailey, J. W. The St. John River In Maine, Quebec, And New Brunswick. Riverside Press (1894).
Dickens, Charles. The Writings Of Charles Dickens. Riverside Press (1894). with Critical and Bibliographical Introductions and Notes by Edwin Percy Whipple and Others. Illustrated with Steel Portraits and Engravings from the Original Designs by Browne, Cruikshank[,] Leech, and Others; 32 volumes
Robinson, Wirt. A Flying Trip To The Tropics. Riverside Press (1895). a record of an ornithological visit to the United States of Colombia, South America and to the Island of Curacao West Indies in the year 1892; 4 chromolithographed plates by J.G. Keulemans, 2 folding colored maps
Smith, F. Hopkinson. A Gentleman Vagabond. Riverside Press (1895). 250 signed copies
Howells, William Dean. Their Wedding Journey. Riverside Press (1895). 250 numbered copies on large paper
Aldrich, Thomas Bailey. Friar Jeromes Beautiful Book. Riverside Press (1896). decorations by W.S. Hadaway
Morse, John T. Life And Letters Of Oliver Wendell Holmes. Riverside Press (1896). 2 volumes; large-paper edition; 275 numbered copies
Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Mrs. Stowe's Writings.. Riverside Press (1896). 17 volumes; 250 numbered copies
Hearn, Lafcadio. Gleanings In Buddha-Fields. Riverside Press (1897). Studies of Hand and Soul in the Far East; 1,750 copies
Newell, William Wells. King Arthur And The Table Round. Riverside Press (1897). 2 volumes
Aldrich, Thomas Bailey. The Writings Of Thomas Bailey Aldrich. Riverside Press (1897). 8 Volumes; 250 copies
Howe, Julia Ward. From Sunset Ridge. Riverside Press (1898). Poems Old and New
Chesnutt, Charles W. The Conjure Woman. Riverside Press (1899). Large-paper issue; 150 numbered copies
Wallace, Lew. The Fair God. Riverside Press (1899). Eric Pape, Illustrator and Jan Sobota, Design Bookbinder; A Tale of the Conquest of Mexico; 2 volumes; 250 signed copies;
Smith, Francis Hopkinson. The Other Fellow. Riverside Press (1899). Special Limited Edition; 300 copies
Harte, Bret. The Writings Of Bret Harte. Riverside Press (1899). 20 Volumes; Sarah Wyman Whitman book design; illustrated by Remington, Flagg, et al.
James, Henry. A Little Tour In France.. Riverside Press (1900). Second Edition, limited issue of 250 copies
Stedman, Edmund Clarence. An American Anthology. Riverside Press (1900). Stedman, Edmund Clarence, ed.; 1787-1900; selections illustrating the editor's critical review of American poetry in the nineteenth century
London, Jack. The Son Of The Wolf. Riverside Press (1900). Tales of the Far North; 2028 copies
Senancour, Etienne Pivert De. Obermann. Riverside Press (1901). Selections from Letters to a Friend; 2 Vols; 300 copies
Woods, Robert Archey. Americans In Process. Riverside Press (1902).
Fielding, Henry. Journal Of A Voyage To Lisbon. Riverside Press (1902). 300 copies
Woodberry, George E. Nathaniel Hawthorne. Riverside Press (1902). Large Paper Edition; 600 numbered copies
Fiske, John. Outlines Of Cosmic Philosophy. Riverside Press (1902). Based On the Doctrine of Evolution, with Criticisms; 4 Volumes; 1000 copies
Aldrich, Thomas Bailey. Sea Turn And Other Matters. Riverside Press (1902).
Harte, Bret. The Writings Of Bret Harte.. Riverside Press (1902). 19 volumes
Fiske, John. The Writings Of John Fiske. Riverside Press (1902). 24 volumes; 1000 copies
Fiske, John. The Writings.. Riverside Press (1902).
Naudeus, Gabriel Naude. Instructions Concerning Erecting Of A Library. Riverside Press (1903). Presented to My Lord The President De Mesme. By Gabriel Naudeus, P. And now Interpreted by John Evelyn, Esquire; 419 copies
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Nature, Addresses And Lectures.. Riverside Press (1903). 12 volumes; 600 copies
Bartlett, George Hartnell. Pen And Ink Drawing. Riverside Press (1903).
Wiggin, Kate Douglas. Rebecca Of Sunnybrook Farm. Riverside Press (1903).
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. The Complete Works.. Riverside Press (1903). With a Biographical Introduction and Notes by Edward Waldo Emerson and a General Index; Journals 1820-1876 edited by Edward Waldo Emerson and Waldo Emerson Forbes; 12 volumes; Autograph Centenary Edition; 600 copies hand-numbered and signed by the publisher
Fiske, John. The Dutch And Quakeer Colonies In America. Riverside Press (1903). 2 vols; 250 copies; Autographed letter by John Fiske, Harvard University stationary, dated February 11, 1872, tipped in on second free end paper
Liely, Wilhelm. The History Of Oliver And Arthur.. Riverside Press (1903). Written in French in 1511, translated into German by Wilhelm Liely in 1521, and now done into English by William Leighton and Eliza Barrett; 330 numbered copies
Lowell, James Russell. Complete Writings. Riverside Press (1904). 16 volumes; 1000 copies
Virgil. Georgics Of Virgil. Riverside Press (1904).
Boccaccio, Giovanni. Life Of Dante.. Riverside Press (1904). Translated from the Italian by Philip Henry Wicksteed.
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. The Complete Writings Of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Riverside Press (1904). with Portraits, Illustrations, and Facsimiles, in Eleven Volumes. Craigie Edition. 11-volume set.
Lawrence, Robert Means. The Descendants Of Major Samuel Lawrence Of Groton, Massachusetts. Riverside Press (1904). With Some Mention Of Allied Families.
Chaucer, Geoffrey:. The Parlement Of Foules.. Riverside Press (1904). illustrated by Bruce Rogers; 325 copies
Burroughs, John. The Writings.. Riverside Press (1904). 23 volumes; 750 signed copies;
Board of Lady Managers. Board Of Lady Managers Of The Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Riverside Press (1905). Authorized By Act of Congress, March III MDCCCCI: Report to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission
James, Henry. English Hours. Riverside Press (1905). First American edition; 400 numbered Large-paper copies
Palmer, Wilson. Reminiscences Of Candia. Riverside Press (1905).
Quarles, Francis. Sions Sonets Sung By Solomon The King.. Riverside Press (1905). 430 numbered copies
Brown, Mary Irene. Poems. Riverside Press (1906).
Browne, Thomas Sir. Hydriotaphia. Riverside Press (1907). or Urne-Buriall or a Discourse of the Sepulchrall Urnes Lately Found in Norfolk; 385 copies
Cunningham, Edith Perkins. Owls Nest. Riverside Press (1907). A Tribute To Sarah Elliott Perkins By Her Granddaughter, Edith Perkins Cunningham; 200 copies
Lowell, Maria. Poems Of Maria Lowell. Riverside Press (1907). 330 copies
Howells, William Dean. Venetian Life. Riverside Press (1907). 2 volumes; 550 signed copies; illustrations by Edmund H. Garrett
Bernard, Auguste. Geofroy Tory Painter And Engraver. Riverside Press (1909). First Royal Printer: Reformer Of Orthography And Typography Under Francois I, An Account Of His Life And Works, By Auguste Bernard, Translated By George B. Ives; 370 copies
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Journals Of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Riverside Press (1909). with annotations; 10 volume set.
Howe, M.A. Dewolfe. Boston Common Scenes From Four Centuries. Riverside Press (1910). 550 copies; 35 plates of Boston Common from the eighteenth century onwards
Percival, Olive. Leaf-Shadows And Rose-Drift. Riverside Press (1911).
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. The Song Of Hiawatha. Riverside Press (1911). Illustrations and designs by Frederic Remington, Maxfield Parrish and N C Wyeth
Thoreau, Henry D. Walking. Riverside Press (1914).
Paff, Adam E.M. Etchings And Drypoints. Riverside Press (1923). By Frank W. Benson. An Illustrated And Descriptive Catalogue.
Deming, Therese O. Edwin Willard Deming. Riverside Press (1925). Foreword by Henry Fairfield Osborn Edited by Henry Collins Walsh; 14 black and white photo illustrations, reproducing various Deming artworks
Delahaye, Paine Ralph. The First Yale Unit. Riverside Press (1925). A Study of Naval Aviation, 1916-1919; 2 vols.
Crosby, Caresse. Graven Images. Riverside Press (1926).
Tudor, Emma. October Dawn. Riverside Press (1926). A Short and Practical Treatise on the Manufacture of Home Made Wines from the Native Grapes of New England; private printing
Philips, John C. Shooting-Stands Of Eastern Massachusetts. Riverside Press (1929).
Homer. The Odyssey Of Homer. Riverside Press (1929). Translated by George Herbert Palmer Illustrated by NC Wyeth; 550 signed copies
Hargrave, C.P. A History Of Playing Cards. Riverside Press (1930). and A Bibliography of Cards and Gaming; 500 illustrations, including 30 in color
White, Henry C. The Life And Art Of Dwight William Tryon.. Riverside Press (1930).
Banks, Charles Edward. The Winthrop Fleet Of 1630. Riverside Press (1930). 550 copies; 12 maps and plates
Coolidge, John Gardner. A War Diary In Paris. Riverside Press (1931). 1914-1917
Cunningham, Edith Perkins. Letters And Journals Of Edith Forbes Perkins. Riverside Press (1931). 1908-1925; Edited by her daughter; 4 vols
Grenfell, Wilfred Sir. Forty Years For Labrador. Riverside Press (1932). black and white photographs and illustrations by F.C. Sears
Clum, Woodworth. Apache Agent: The Story Of John P. Clum. Riverside Press (1936). illustrated with a color frontisportrait of Geronimo and 13 photographs; 10 copies
White, Nelson C. The Life And Art Of J. Frank Currier. Riverside Press (1936). 48 full-page black and white plates of Curriers work
French, Hollis. Jacob Hurd And His Sons Nathaniel and Benjamin. Riverside Press (1939). Silversmiths 1702-1781. Foreword by Kathryn Buhler; 250 numbered copies;
Audubon, John James. Audubons America. Riverside Press (1940). The Narratives and Experiences of John James Audubon; edited by Donald Culross Peattie; 3,025 copies
Laughlin, Ledlie Irwin. Pewter In America. Riverside Press (1940). Its Makers and Their Marks; 2 vols
Mccullers, Carson. The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter.. Riverside Press (1940).
Stackpole, Markham W. World War Memoirs Of Milton Academy. Riverside Press (1940). 1914-1919, with Service Records of Masters and Former Students
Mccullers, Carson. Reflections Of A Golden Eye. Riverside Press (1941).
Wilson, Edmund. The Wound And The Bow. Riverside Press (1941). Seven Studies in Literature.
Gardner, Will. The Coffin Saga. Riverside Press (1949). Nantuckets Story ~ From Settlement to Summer Visitors
Mccullers, Carson. The Ballad Of The Sad Cafe. Riverside Press (1951). Novels And Stories Of Carson Mccullers
Guthrie Jr, A.B. These Thousand Hills. Riverside Press (1956).
Chandler, Raymond. Playback. Riverside Press (1958).
Berry, Wendell. Nathan Coulter. Riverside Press (1960).
Mccullers, Carson. Clock Without Hands. Riverside Press (1961).
Carson, Rachel. Silent Spring. Riverside Press (1962). Lois and Louis Darling, illustrated
White, William S. The Professional: Lyndon B. Johnson.. Riverside Press (1964).
Kosinski, Jerzy. The Painted Bird. Riverside Press (1965). also has published poetry under the name Joseph Novak
Evans, Walker. Many Are Called. Riverside Press (1966). Introduction by James Agee; candid portraits shot by Evans in the New York subway in the 30s and early 40s
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord Of The Rings. Riverside Press (1967). 3 vols; Revised with a new forword by the author
Misselhorn, Roscoe. Roscoe Misselhorns Pencil Sketches Of American Steam Trains. Riverside Press (1976). 100 years of steam railroading in America ; 33 pencil drawings of trains in action