Walker, Wise & Co. Boston
Walker, Fuller & Co.
Horace B. Fuller

In 1859 James Perkins Walker and Daniel W. Wise formed a co-partnership, Walker and Wise. They were designated as the publishers for the American Unitarian Association.

James P. Walker was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 1829. He clerked and apprenticed for a number of firms including Little Brown. While working at Leavitt and Allen he met Daniel W. Wise who was in charge of its retail department. Walker and Wise was established in 1859. Walker died in 1868 at the age of 39.

Horace B. Fuller clerked at Hickling, Swan and Brown beginning in 1856. In 1864 he moved on and clerked for Walker, Wise & Co. Fuller became a named partner in 1865 when Daniel W. Wise left. Walker & Fuller failed in 1866 when the American Unitarian Association decided to do its own publishing.

At that point Horace B. Fuller started his namesake publishing firm. In addition to publishing books , in 1867 he bought Merry’s Museum formerly owned by Samuel Griswold Goodrich ( Peter Parley). He paid Louisa May Alcott $500/year to be its editor. Alcott’s Will’s Wonder Book which was published in the Dirigo Series in 1870 first was serialized in Merry’s Museum in 1868. Fuller also published The Schoolmate

By 1873 Fuller was out of business. He committed suicide in January, 1899.

For more information see: The Boston Public Library Quarterly, July, 1854 for an article by Madeleine Stern about these publishers.

Walker, Wise & Co. 1859-1865
Walker, Fuller and Co. 1865-1866
Horace B. Fuller 1866-1873

21 Bromfield Street 1859
245 Washington 1860-1868
383 Washington Street 1868
14 Bromfield Street 1869-1873

These publishing firms produced just a few juvenile series. Which of these firms published the series is noted after the series name.