Leary and Company (Leary's Bookstore) archives 1840s-1969

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Leary and Company (Leary's Bookstore) archives 1840s-1969

http://dla.library.upenn.edu/dla/pacscl/ead.html?id=PACSCL_TUSCRC_TUSCRCSPCMSSPP003

William A. Leary, was a small-time book seller in 1836 when he journeyed to Philadelphia to establish a sidewalk book stall on North Second Street. As business prospered, Leary moved to several different locations, finally settling at 138 North Second Street which was right next door to the Camel Tavern, a landmark in Philadelphia. Leary’s Book Store specialized in selling inexpensive, second-hand books. Because of its large inventory and cheap prices, Leary’s developed a national reputation. In addition to selling and buying books, Leary expanded his base of operations by venturing into the publishing business in the 1850s. William A. Leary, Jr. took over the book store in 1865. Stuart and Charles Mann purchased the store from the Leary Estate in 1876. Under the Stuart’s management, Leary’s became one of the largest old book dealers in the world. As more people moved to and shopped in the suburbs, Leary’s customer base declined. Leary’s went out of business on November 20, 1968. The Leary collection is divided into three series, Records, Bound Volumes/Ledgers, and Posters and Paintings. The over-all time frame of the collection spans from the 1840s to 1969.

21.0 boxes; and 91 volumes

Temple University Libraries Special Collections Research Center

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SNAC Resource ID: 6328670

Related Entities

There are 5 Entities related to this resource.

Leary, Stuart, and Company.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6ns68nr (corporateBody)

Stuart, Edwin S. (Edwin Sydney), 1853-1937

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6ms4mf4 (person)

Edwin S. Stuart, a prominent Philadelphia Republican politician, was born in Philadelphia on December 28, 1853. In just over a decade Stuart moved from errand boy to owner of Leary's Book Store and in 1877 Stuart moved Leary's to near 9th and Market Streets, Philadelphia. Stuart's political career began with membership in the Young Republicans of Philadelphia in 1880. In two years Stuart ascended to the club presidency. By 1886 Stuart was elected to city council and five...

Leary's Book Store

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6z083zb (corporateBody)

Leary's Book Store was established by William A. Leary, Jr. in Philadelphia in 1836, where it operated until it closed 150 years later. in 1969. In 1877 the new owner Edwin S. Stuart moved the bookstore to 9th and Market Streets. At the time the operation was auctioned in 1969, Leary's had gained notoriety as the oldest operating bookstore in the nation and one of the largest, with a stock of over 700,000 volumes. From the description of Records, ...

Gimbel Brothers

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w66q6vb1 (corporateBody)

Adam Gimbel established family in the retail business when he opened a store in Vincennes, Indiana in 1842. His sons, including Jacob, started the Gimbel Brothers firm. Gimbel Brothers began in Milwaukee in 1887 and later expanded to Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and New York. Horace Saks sold Saks Fifth Avenue and Saks Thirty-fourth Street stores to Bernard Gimbel in 1923 for Gimbel stock. Gimbels Southgate was the first suburban Gimbels store in 1954. Gimbels merged with Schuster's Department Stor...

Leary, Getz & Co.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6gk2v8q (corporateBody)