Estes & Lauriat

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Estes & Lauriat – Boston

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Dana Estes, publisher, was born in Gorham, Maine on the 4^th March 1840 . His ancestors had arrived in Boston in 1684 from Dover, England.

Dana was educated in the public schools, and was a clerk in a general store in Augusta, Maine from 1855 until 1859. Next he joined the book business of Henry D. Degen & Son in Boston, and served in the Union army from 1861 until the second battle of Bull Run, 31^st August 1862, when his only brother, Albert Estes, was killed, and where he was disabled from further service.

He re-entered the book business as a clerk in 1864, and in 1866 became a member of the firm of Degen, Estes & Co. He was subsequently connected with the publishing house of Lee & Shepard until 1872, when he partnered Charles Emelius Lauriat * in the firm of Estes & Lauriat.

Elected a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; of the American Archeologically Institute and of various social and literary clubs, he received a degree from Bowdoin College in 1898.

A change in partnership at Estes & Lauriat in 1898 brought a change of name to Dana Estes & Co., with the retail division operating separately as the Charles E. Lauriat Co.. The new Estes book list was much like the old one -- that is, fine arts, travel books, deluxe editions and children's books. When Dana Estes died in June 1909 the publishing house appeared to change little. However, quite abruptly in 1913, for reasons still unclear, there was a sudden drop in both quantity and quality of the Estes list. No-one was surprised when in 1914 it was acquired by the L.C. Page & Company for a bargain price.

* Lauriat’s son, also Charles Emelius Lauriat, acquired fame for his acts of bravery during the sinking of the Lusitania (see web page)

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