E.C. Allen & Co.

Organization

Biography

Maine businessman, publisher of farm and family periodicals and books, and owner of an extensive mail order business. Allen established E. C. Allen and Company in Augusta, Maine and subsequently acquired control of the publishing firms of True and Company of Augusta and George Stinson and Company of Portland, Maine. His first periodical was The People's Literary Companion, founded in 1869. Other periodicals published included Daughters of America, Golden Moments, Illustrated Family Herald, Sunshine for Youth, and Thrifty Farmer. Allen was less interested in the literary quality of these publications than in using the subscription lists and the low postage rates for periodicals as a means to carry on his mail order business. After Allen's death in 1891, his family operated the business. In 1895 it was sold to S. W. Lane and Company, and the firm's stock was sold to R. W. Soule.

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

E.C. Allen business records

FOUND IN: Baker Library Special Collections and Archives, Harvard Business School

Collection Identifier: Mss:680 1871-1896 A425

Scope and Contents: Ledger accounts for agents, cash books, letter books, records of subscriptions and mailings, and unbound papers. There are extensive files of copyright entries and of advertising circulars. Also included are papers relating to Allen's other business interests, particularly the Kennebec Steamboat Company. The collection is an important resource for a study of the beginnings of both the mail order business and mass advertising. There is very little material on the editorial side of the...