Publishers Ernest Nister And E.P. Dutton & Co.

Crop of No Idle Story

Co Publishers E Nister and E P Dutton

The above are crops from the prior posting of the 1907 postcard under the title of No Idle Story. (Just click on the images to enlarge.) It shows the publisher info of Ernest Nister of London and E.P. Dutton & Co. of New York. These are two very well-known and researched names in the world of antique and vintage ephemera, so we won’t go into great detail. Briefly, Ernest Nister was a German born printer and publisher known for his superior quality children’s books in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and known for his innovations in the pop-up and moveable picture book genre. Nister started in Nuremburg, Germany and branched out to London and New York. E. P. Dutton & Co. was an American book publishing company founded by bookseller Edward Payson Dutton in Boston in 1852. (Wondering briefly if there was any connection to Edward Payson Butler, photographer, or just coincidence.) Dutton began publishing in 1864 and then relocated to New York in 1869. His company became one of the leading U.S. publishers and worked with many famous authors. In 1986 the company was acquired by The Penguin Group. Dutton was known as both distributor for Nister, and later as co-publisher. Many collectables in the form of books, calendars, holiday cards, postcards from either/or and both companies in tandem, can be found online.

Sources:  “Ernest Nister.” From  “A Brief History of Moveable Books.” UNT Libraries. Web accessed January 3, 2015. [http://www.library.unt.edu/rarebooks/exhibits/popup2/nister.htm]

“E. P. Dutton & Company, Inc. Records.” Syracuse University Libraries Finding Aids. Web accessed January 3, 2015. [http://library.syr.edu/digital/guides/e/ep_dutton.htm]

“Publisher – Ernest Nister/E.P. Dutton” Oct. 20, 2014. Vintage Valentine Museum. Web accessed January 3, 2015. [http://www.vintagevalentinemuseum.com/2014/10/publisher-ernest-nistere-p-dutton.html]

“Dutton.” Penguin.com. Web accessed January 3, 2015. [http://www.penguin.com/meet/publishers/dutton/]