Beadle's Dime Song Book No. 4

By Dead Dodo Publishing Limited

BETWEEN April, 1859, and June, 1876, the Beadles issued 34 Dime Song Books, as well as a series of Patriotic (and Campaign) Songsters, a few Pocket Songsters, ten One Cent Song Books, a Melodist, and aSchool Melodist. At the same time, under the imprint of Frank Starr & Co., five more songsters appeared. The Dime Song Books, sensu stricto, include the early reprints of Irwin P. Beadle's Song Books, Nos. 1 to 4, as published by Irwin P. Beadle & Co. when that name was first used by the original firm. As mentioned above, these songbooks are of exactly the same size as the original issues, 5 7/8 by 3 ¾ inches, and have buff wrappers, but the title of the series was made prominent and a cut of the reverse of a dime was added. The same style of wrapper was used for nine numbers, seven of them with Irwin P. Beadle & Co. as publishers, the others with Beadle & Co. Books published by Irwin P. Beadle & Co., therefore, from 137 and later from 141 William Street during the years 1859 and 1860, belong here, for at this time Irwin was one of the partners of the original firm.

With the issue of No. 10, the regular size of the Dime Novel was adopted. Buff wrappers were continued in use at least to include No. 17, and probably also No. 18. After this, the orange cover, so characteristic of the Beadle booklets, was used, and subsequent numbers were encased in wrappers of this color.

The thirty-four Dime Song Books appear with various addresses and combinations of addresses of the publishers on title page and wrappers. As the older numbers became exhausted, they were reprinted with the publishers' then location, unless it happened that a supply of the booklets was on hand without wrappers. In the latter case, the title page may show an older address while the wrapper shows the new. Perhaps the old covers were removed and new ones put on. In some cases there seems to have been an extra supply of covers on hand, for the title page may show the new address and the cover the old. Copies with the name of the firm and the address as they were when the book was first issued, and the same on both cover and title page, and with no advertisements of later Beadle publications, are, of course, the most desirable.

When, with No. 10, there was a change in format, there was also a change in the design on the wrapper. Up to and including No. 20, the word "Beadle's," in rather small Old Style Extended capital letters, occurs at the top of the page between the number of the song book in the upper corners. In large letters below this is the word "Dime" curved around the picture of the reverse of a dime, and on the two sides are the words "Song" and "Book." Occupying the greater part of the cover is a cut, illustrating one of the songs, whose title is lettered across it. "Popular, Comic and Sentimental Songs" follows below, and at the bottom of the page is the publisher's imprint. The three remaining pages of the wrappers contain advertisements of various Beadle publications.

With No. 21, the words Beadle's Dime Song Book Series appear in inconspicuous type across the top, and the name of the title song, which so far had been only a name, became the name of the songster. No. 21 thus became "The Grecian Bend Songster." This change, incidentally, occurred just after Beadle & Co. removed from 118 to 98 William Street.

Nos. 1 to 9, which originally had no pictorial covers and were of smaller size, in later reprints were made of the standard size and had an illustration added beneath the heading of the series.

While the songbooks were usually sold as separate booklets, the first eighteen, at least, were also bound in muslin, nine numbers to a volume, and sold at one dollar each. It is possible that with the change from buff to orange covers on No. 19, no more bound volumes were issued.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dead Dodo Publishing Limited
• Release date: Apr 24, 2018
• ISBN: 9788828314127

Book preview

Toper

MAUD ADAIR AND I

..................

Copied by permission of Firth, Pond & Co., 547 Broadway, owners of the copyright.

..................

One year ago were we sixteen,

Maud Adair and I,

With lightsome tread we tript the green,

Maud Adair and I;

But Maud Adair is lying low,

She left poor me three moons ago;

We ne’er shall meet again below,

Maud Adair and I.

Chorus.—My Maud Adair! Sweet Maud Adair!

We’ll meet again up in the sky,

Maud Adair and I.

One year ago, with hand in hand,

Maud Adair and I,

We roam’d the sunny hill and strand,

Maud Adair and I;

But one sad eve, with tearful eye,

She whisper’d low a last Good-by,—

We’ll meet again up in the sky,

Maud Adair and I.

Chorus.—My Maud Adair, &c.

How happy were we, and how true,

Maud Adair and I,

Like elm and ivy, upward grew

Maud Adair and I;

Oh, be thy spirit ever near

To whisper softly words of cheer!

While God doth guard, what can we fear,

Maud Adair and I?

Chorus.—My Maud Adair, &c.

..................

DON’T YOU CRY SO, NORAH, DARLING

..................

Copied by permission, of Firth, Pond & Co., 547 Broadway, owners of the copyright.

..................

Don’t you cry so, Norah, darling,

Wipe those tears away,

Don’t you cry so, Norah, darling,

Smile on me to-day;

See the wind is freshly blowing,

And the ship longs for the sea,

Be to-day your smiles bestowing

Sweetly, love, on me.

Chorus.—Don’t you cry so, Norah, darling,

Wipe those tears away;

Don’t you cry so, Norah, darling,

Smile on me to-day.

Though ’tis sad to leave you, darling,

I must no more stay,

Think of me, Norina, darling,

When I’m far away;

And, although to part brings sadness,

Keep your young heart light and free,

Your sweet face adorn with gladness,

Thinking still of me.

Don’t you cry so, &c.

Don’t you cry so, Norah, darling,

Wipe those tears away,

Don’t you cry so, Norah, darling,

Smile on me to-day;

When from work I rest a-weary,

All my thoughts on you will be,

And my life will not seem dreary,

If you’re true to me.

Don’t you cry so, &c.

..................

WE ARE GROWING OLD TOGETHER

..................

Copied by permission of Firth, Pond & Co., 547 Broadway, owners of the copyright.

..................

We are growing old together, thou dearest of the dear,

The morning of our life is past, and evening shades appear;

Some friends we loved are in their graves, and many are estranged,

But in sunshine or in shadow, our hearts are never changed.

We are growing old together, thou dearest of the dear,

The morning of our life is past, and evening shades appear.

We are growing old together, the ivy and the tree

A fitting emblem is dear, of the love ’twixt you and me;

To be worthy of each other in the past was all our aim,

And ’tis pleasant now to know, dear, our hearts are still the same.

We are growing old together, thou dearest of the dear,

The morning of our life is past, and evening shades appear.

We are growing old together, together may we die—

Together may our spirits soar to our home beyond the sky;

For we loved as few can love, dear, when life’s flowery paths we ranged,

And though we’ve wander’d long here, our hearts have never changed.

We are growing old together, thou dearest of the dear,

The morning of our life is past, and evening shades appear.

..................

COTTAGE BY THE SEA

..................

Copied by permission of Firth, Pond & Co., 547 Broadway, owners of the copyright.

..................

Childhood’s days now pass before me

Forms and scenes of long ago,

Like a dream they hover o’er me,

Calm and bright as evening’s glow,

Days that know no shade of sorrow,

There my young heart pure and free,

Joyful hail’d each coming morrow

In the Cottage by the Sea.

CHORUS.

In the Cottage by the Sea,

In the Cottage by the Sea,

Joyful hail’d each coming morrow

In the Cottage by the Sea.

Fancy sees the rose-trees twining,

Round the old and rustic door,

And below, the white beach shining,

Where I gather’d shells of yore.

Hears my mother’s gentle warning,

As she took me on her knee;

And I feel again life’s morning,

In the Cottage by the Sea.

In the Cottage by the Sea, &c.

What though years rolled above me,

Though ’mid fairer scenes I roam,

Yet I ne’er shall cease to love thee,

Childhood’s dear and happy home!

And when life’s long day is closing,

Oh! how pleasant it would be;

On