James R. Osgood
Encyclopedia
James R. Osgood was an American publisher probably best known for his partnership with Mark Twain
and his involvement with the publishing company that would become Houghton Mifflin
.
He entered the publishing trade as a clerk in the Boston firm of Ticknor and Fields
and, by 1864, became a partner in the firm. It was reorganized in 1868 as Fields, Osgood, & Company. The firm acquired The Atlantic Monthly
.
In 1870 Osgood and two partners founded James R. Osgood & Company. Among their successful publications was Bret Harte
's The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Stories, followed by a volume of Harte's poems and another of "condensed novels." Osgood advanced Bret Harte $10,000 for future work, but Harte never wrote another story. In 1872 and 1877, J.R. Osgood & Company brought out Henry Wilson
's three-volume account of the Civil War
, The History of the Rise and Fall of the Slave Power in America
. Also in 1877 the firm sold the North American Review
and published an edition of Edward FitzGerald's
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
.
In 1878 the firm dissolved, and Osgood joined forces with Henry Oscar Houghton
to form the short-lived Houghton, Osgood & Company. The firm's most successful book was William Dean Howells
' The Lady of the Aroostook. In 1880 this firm became the New York branch of Houghton, Mifflin & Company
. Osgood remained in Boston, where he founded a second J.R. Osgood & Company.
Osgood published an edition of Walt Whitman
's Leaves of Grass
in 1881 that was attacked by the Boston district attorney as "obscene literature". Osgood gave in and refused to bring out another edition, forcing Whitman to find another publisher.
By this time Osgood had befriended Samuel L. Clemens, whose pen name was "Mark Twain." In 1882 the company published Twain's The Prince and the Pauper
and The Stolen White Elephant
. That same year, Osgood accompanied Clemens on a riverboat trip collecting material for Life on the Mississippi
, which was published by Osgood in 1883.
Osgood's firm was reportedly one of the most successful in Boston. However, in 1885 the company went bankrupt. Osgood's young partners, Thomas and Benjamin Ticknor, found a third partner and started a new firm. Osgood went to work for Harper's Magazine
. In 1891 Osgood went into business again, with the magazine's permission, in partnership with Clarence McIlvaine as Osgood, McIlvaine, & Company. The firm had its greatest success with Thomas Hardy
's Tess of the D'Urbervilles
, but Osgood died before the volume went on sale.
's 2009 historical thriller The Last Dickens
.
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
and his involvement with the publishing company that would become Houghton Mifflin
Houghton Mifflin
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is an educational and trade publisher in the United States. Headquartered in Boston's Back Bay, it publishes textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers and adults.-History:The company was...
.
Life and work
A reputed child prodigy, James R. Osgood knew Latin at age 3 and entered college at 12 years of age. He studied at Bowdoin College in Maine, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. While there, he was a member of the Peucinian Society among others.He entered the publishing trade as a clerk in the Boston firm of Ticknor and Fields
Ticknor and Fields
Ticknor and Fields was an American publishing company based in Boston, Massachusetts.-Early years:In 1832 William Davis Ticknor and John Allen began a small publishing business which operated out of the Old Corner Bookstore located on Washington and School Streets in Boston, Massachusetts...
and, by 1864, became a partner in the firm. It was reorganized in 1868 as Fields, Osgood, & Company. The firm acquired The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic is an American magazine founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1857. It was created as a literary and cultural commentary magazine. It quickly achieved a national reputation, which it held for more than a century. It was important for recognizing and publishing new writers and poets,...
.
In 1870 Osgood and two partners founded James R. Osgood & Company. Among their successful publications was Bret Harte
Bret Harte
Francis Bret Harte was an American author and poet, best remembered for his accounts of pioneering life in California.- Life and career :...
's The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Stories, followed by a volume of Harte's poems and another of "condensed novels." Osgood advanced Bret Harte $10,000 for future work, but Harte never wrote another story. In 1872 and 1877, J.R. Osgood & Company brought out Henry Wilson
Henry Wilson
Henry Wilson was the 18th Vice President of the United States and a Senator from Massachusetts...
's three-volume account of the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, The History of the Rise and Fall of the Slave Power in America
History of the Rise and Fall of the Slave Power in America
The History of the Rise and Fall of the Slave Power in America is a historically significant book about the American Civil War by Vice President Henry Wilson, who had been a Senator from Massachusetts during the war....
. Also in 1877 the firm sold the North American Review
North American Review
The North American Review was the first literary magazine in the United States. Founded in Boston in 1815 by journalist Nathan Hale and others, it was published continuously until 1940, when publication was suspended due to J. H. Smyth, who had purchased the magazine, being unmasked as a Japanese...
and published an edition of Edward FitzGerald's
Edward FitzGerald (poet)
Edward FitzGerald was an English writer, best known as the poet of the first and most famous English translation of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. The spelling of his name as both FitzGerald and Fitzgerald is seen...
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám is the title that Edward FitzGerald gave to his translation of a selection of poems, originally written in Persian and of which there are about a thousand, attributed to Omar Khayyám , a Persian poet, mathematician and astronomer...
.
In 1878 the firm dissolved, and Osgood joined forces with Henry Oscar Houghton
Henry Oscar Houghton
Henry Oscar Houghton was an American publisher, co-founder of Houghton Mifflin, and a mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts.-Biography:...
to form the short-lived Houghton, Osgood & Company. The firm's most successful book was William Dean Howells
William Dean Howells
William Dean Howells was an American realist author and literary critic. Nicknamed "The Dean of American Letters", he was particularly known for his tenure as editor of the Atlantic Monthly as well as his own writings, including the Christmas story "Christmas Every Day" and the novel The Rise of...
' The Lady of the Aroostook. In 1880 this firm became the New York branch of Houghton, Mifflin & Company
Houghton Mifflin
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is an educational and trade publisher in the United States. Headquartered in Boston's Back Bay, it publishes textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers and adults.-History:The company was...
. Osgood remained in Boston, where he founded a second J.R. Osgood & Company.
Osgood published an edition of Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
's Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass is a poetry collection by the American poet Walt Whitman . Though the first edition was published in 1855, Whitman spent his entire life writing Leaves of Grass, revising it in several editions until his death...
in 1881 that was attacked by the Boston district attorney as "obscene literature". Osgood gave in and refused to bring out another edition, forcing Whitman to find another publisher.
By this time Osgood had befriended Samuel L. Clemens, whose pen name was "Mark Twain." In 1882 the company published Twain's The Prince and the Pauper
The Prince and the Pauper
The Prince and the Pauper is an English-language novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada before its 1882 publication in the United States. The book represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction...
and The Stolen White Elephant
The Stolen White Elephant
"The Stolen White Elephant" is a short story written by Mark Twain and published in 1882 by James R. Osgood. In this short story an Indian elephant, en route from India to Britain as a gift to the Queen, disappears in New Jersey...
. That same year, Osgood accompanied Clemens on a riverboat trip collecting material for Life on the Mississippi
Life on the Mississippi
Life on the Mississippi is a memoir by Mark Twain, of his days as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River before the American Civil War, and also a travel book, recounting his trip along the Mississippi many years after the War....
, which was published by Osgood in 1883.
Osgood's firm was reportedly one of the most successful in Boston. However, in 1885 the company went bankrupt. Osgood's young partners, Thomas and Benjamin Ticknor, found a third partner and started a new firm. Osgood went to work for Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts, with a generally left-wing perspective. It is the second-oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. . The current editor is Ellen Rosenbush, who replaced Roger Hodge in January 2010...
. In 1891 Osgood went into business again, with the magazine's permission, in partnership with Clarence McIlvaine as Osgood, McIlvaine, & Company. The firm had its greatest success with Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy, OM was an English novelist and poet. While his works typically belong to the Naturalism movement, several poems display elements of the previous Romantic and Enlightenment periods of literature, such as his fascination with the supernatural.While he regarded himself primarily as a...
's Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Tess of the d'Urbervilles
Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented, also known as Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman, Tess of the d'Urbervilles or just Tess, is a novel by Thomas Hardy, first published in 1891. It initially appeared in a censored and serialised version, published by the British...
, but Osgood died before the volume went on sale.
In fiction
A fictionalized Osgood played a key role in Matthew PearlMatthew Pearl
Matthew Pearl is an American novelist and educator. His novels include The Dante Club, The Poe Shadow and The Last Dickens and have been published in more than 40 countries.-Biography:...
's 2009 historical thriller The Last Dickens
The Last Dickens
The Last Dickens is a novel by Matthew Pearl published by Random House. It is a work of historical and literary fiction. The novel is a Washington Post Critics' Pick. It contains some characters from The Dante Club.-Plot summary:...
.
Published by Osgood
- Boston Illustrated. 1872.