author
John B. (John Berry) Alden
1847–1924
A pioneering American publisher and editor, he helped bring inexpensive books to a wide audience in the late 19th century. His name became closely linked with the "Literary Revolution," a push to make standard works more affordable for everyday readers.
2 Audiobooks
The Alden Catalogue of Choice Books, May 30, 1889
by John B. (John Berry) Alden
Alden's Handy Atlas of the World Including One Hundred and Thirty-eight Colored Maps, Diagrams, Tables, Etc.
by John B. (John Berry) Alden
About the author
Born in Henry County, Iowa, in 1847, John B. Alden built his career in the book trade after working as a clerk and later managing a bookstore in Chicago. In the late 1860s and early 1870s, he published juvenile periodicals including The Bright Side and What Next?, showing an early interest in reaching broad audiences through print.
After moving to New York, he became best known as a publisher of low-cost editions of classical and standard works. His business was associated with the American Book Exchange and with the movement often called the "Literary Revolution," which aimed to put substantial reading within reach of more people by lowering prices and widening distribution.
Alden died in 1924. Remembered less as a literary stylist than as an energetic force in American publishing, he played a notable part in the expansion of affordable reading in the United States during the late 19th century.