Booksellers
From newspaper offices or dedicated shops, in person, through the mail, or through agents
Determining 19th century numbers on book circulation can be difficult, but we do know that there was a healthy market for Spiritualist texts. One source reports in 1871 that there were 100,000 Spiritualist and progressive books and pamphlets sold that year, and that “[t]he sale of these books is as steady as of books in any other department of the trade, and they should not be overlooked by the bookseller” [1]. The newspaper trade aided Spiritualist bookselling by running ads for bookshops in its pages or inviting readers to submit their orders through the mail. Women ran bookshops through their newspaper offices, printed ads and book reviews in their newspapers, ran joint business ventures with their spouses, sold their published works through such places, and were certainly consumers.
For more on how women sold books and newspapers to buyers on subscription, check out the agents page.
Herman Snow and his wife Mrs. Snow ran a Liberal and Reform bookstore in San Francisco for over 12 years.
H. Snow’s Liberal and Reform Bookstore — Mrs. Snow and Herman Snow
Herman Snow ran a well-regarded Spiritualist bookshop with his wife, Mrs. Snow, in San Francisco. Starting in 1867, the shop was open for twelve years and then spent a brief period operating mainly though mail and shipping services. I am still looking for Mrs. Snow’s full name. She is described as Herman’s primary business assistant: “indeed without her aid…the business could not have long been kept up” because of Herman’s ill health [2].
The store's opening ad reads:
“To Spiritualists and Other Reformers. I take this method of announcing that I have just opened, at No 410 Kearny Street, A Liberal and Reform Book Store, Where I am prepared to furnish promptly a general supply of SPIRITUALIST and other REFORM PUBLICATIONS, at Eastern prices. I have now on hand nearly the entire list of books, as published in the Boston Banner of Light, and I shall order constantly from the East, to keep up the supply.” [3]
Common Sense office — Amanda M. and William N. Slocum
Common Sense (1874-1875) was a Spiritualist and suffragist journal produced by Amanda Slocum and her husband William N. Slocum. The office advertised a book order service through the mail:
“BOOKS! BOOKS! BOOKS! Arrangements have been made by which I can furnish, At Publishers' Retail Prices, ANY BOOK which can be purchased in this city, adding only postage to the dealers’ regular rates. Orders sent to me at the office of COMMON SENSE, 236 Montgomery St., will receive prompt attention” signed W.N. Slocum. [4]
This issue also printed a full-page “Catalogue of standard, radical and spiritualistic books” for sale through the mail, shown in the below image [5].
A “Catalogue of standard, radical and spiritualistic books” available for sale through the mail, in this 1874 issue of Common Sense.
Carrier Dove office — Julia Schlesinger
The Carrier Dove (1883-1893) and its successor The Pacific Coast Spiritualist (1893-1895) were edited by Julia Schlesinger and run variously out of San Francisco and Oakland. The journals were Spiritualist and reformist in scope, and sold books through their office:
“Books for Sale at this Office.” Advertisement lists book and pamphlet descriptions and prices, including postage. The list includes books by Mrs. Nettie P. Fox and by Mrs. Cora L. V. Richmond, mediumistic authors [6].
Sources
Images:
[H. Snow's Liberal and Reform Bookstore ad] From Banner of Progress, December 1, 1867 (San Francisco, California), page 3. The International Association for the Preservation of Spiritualist and Occult Periodicals (IAPSOP), http://iapsop.com/archive/materials/banner_of_progress/.
[“Catalogue of standard, radical and spiritualistic books”] From Common Sense, June 20, 1874 (San Francisco, California), page 525. The International Association for the Preservation of Spiritualist and Occult Periodicals (IAPSOP), http://iapsop.com/archive/materials/common_sense/.
[1] The American Booksellers Guide (New York: American News Co., 1871), 62, HathiTrust Digital Library, https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/102657159.
[2] Carrier Dove, December 10, 1887 (San Francisco, California), pages 563-565. The International Association for the Preservation of Spiritualist and Occult Periodicals (IAPSOP), http://iapsop.com/archive/materials/carrier_dove/.
[3] Banner of Progress, December 1, 1867 (San Francisco, California), page 3. The International Association for the Preservation of Spiritualist and Occult Periodicals (IAPSOP), http://iapsop.com/archive/materials/banner_of_progress/.
[4] Common Sense, June 20, 1874 (San Francisco, California), page 525. The International Association for the Preservation of Spiritualist and Occult Periodicals (IAPSOP), http://iapsop.com/archive/materials/common_sense/.
[5] Carrier Dove, August 11, 1888 (San Francisco, California), page 525. The International Association for the Preservation of Spiritualist and Occult Periodicals (IAPSOP), http://iapsop.com/archive/materials/carrier_dove/.
[6] Banner of Progress, December 1, 1867 (San Francisco, California), page 3. The International Association for the Preservation of Spiritualist and Occult Periodicals (IAPSOP), http://iapsop.com/archive/materials/banner_of_progress/.
Banner of Progress office
Banner of Progress (1867-1869) was a San Francisco Spiritualist newspaper edited by Benjamin Todd and W.H. Manning. It sold books through its office:
“Catalogue of Liberal and Spiritual Books for sale at the Office of the Banner of Progress.”
Books and pamphlets with paper covers are listed, available by mail order. Several women authors in this list are Cora L. V. Richmond, Eliza Farnham, and Miss Sprague [7].