overall: 8 3/4 in x 6 1/2 in x 1/2 in; 22.225 cm x 16.51 cm x 1.27 cm
Object Name:
book
Place made:
United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Date made:
1910
Description:
<i>The Story of the Liberty Bell</i>, a book published in 1910, is much more than the story of the celebrated Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. Rather, it is a short, historical narrative of the struggle for liberty in many eras and countries. It begins with the Biblical story of the Jewish people's flight from Egypt and continues with the Irish, Swiss, and other popular uprisings in European history. It devotes many pages to the search for religious liberty by focusing on the efforts of the Puritans, Martin Luther, and Joan of Arc, among others. The last half of the book describes the discovery, colonization and growth of America from the Puritans through the American Revolutionary War. The final chapter is devoted to the popular history of the Liberty Bell itself. The author's tone is very optimistic, and somewhat naive, about the heroic march toward freedom in the Western world. In keeping with the socio-political norms of the pre-World War I era, European colonization of and treatment of Third World countries in not mentioned.
There are many black and white illustrations and one in color of celebrated historical events and figures. The front cover features a colorful illustrations of Americans celebrating in front of Independence Hall. The appendix contains ads for similar works by the author. It is 124 pages in length.
Primary author and editor Wayne Wipple (1856-1942) specialized in popular books and articles on historical American figures, such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Abraham Lincoln. His other publications include <i>The Story of the American Flag</i> and <i>The Story of the White House</i>.
Henry Altemus Company (1842-1936) was a popular and prolific Philadelphia, Pennsylvania publisher which started as a bookbinder and evolved into a publisher of juvenile series books, religious and moralistic books, bibles, fairy tales, and photo albums. After the death of his father Joseph in 1853, Henry took over the business. By the 1860s, it was one of the largest bookbinders in the United States. In 1889, Altemus began publishing non-religious, inspirational books. Altemus thrived by publishing an increasing number of inexpensive reprints of leading American and British authors. In 1909, the juvenile series for both boys and girls was introduced. These extremely popular books were published into the 1930s.
