Publishing History > The Rover Boys (Grosset & Dunlap; etc.)
The Rover Boys
Publishers: Mershon; Stitt; Chatterton-Peck; Grosset & Dunlap; Whitman.
Place: New York, United States; etc. Date: 1899-1940s.
The Rover Boys on Land and Sea
by Arthur M. Winfield
New York: Grosset & Dunlap, copyright date: 1903; issue date: c. 1920s-1930s (The Rover Boys' Series for Young Americans, 7).
Hardback in medium brown cloth. Pictorial dustwrapper printed in colour on white coated paper.
THE ROVER BOYS (GROSSET & DUNLAP; ETC.)
Series Note: The Rover Boys Series (also known as The Rover Boys' Series for Young Americans) was a 30 volume series of children's adventure novels written by Arthur M. Winfield, a pseudonym for Edward Stratemeyer. The series was launched in 1899. The earliest titles were published in turn by The Mershon Co. (1899–1904; 1906), the Stitt Publishing Co. (1905), the Chatterton-Peck Co. (1907), and Grosset & Dunlap (from 1908 until 1930s). In the 1940s he Whitman Publishing Co. reprinted eight titles. The Grosset & Dunlap publisher's blurb reads as follows: "No stories for boys' reading ever published have attained the immense popularity of this favourite series. Any lad of mettle is certain to revel in these captivating stories of school sports, camping, travel and hunting."
EARLIEST PUBLISHERS
FIRST SERIES
Note re the First Series:
"The original Rover Boys were brothers Tom, Sam, and Dick Rover, the sons of wealthy widower Anderson Rover, who entrusted his brother and sister-in-law, Randolph and Martha, with the rearing of the boys. As the series progressed the brothers became smitten with Dora Stanhope and Nellie and Grace Laning, the daughter and nieces of a wealthy widow." -- Wikipedia
No. / Title / First publisher / First year of publication
1
The Rover Boys at School; or, The Cadets of Putnam Hall
The Mershon Co., Rahway, N.J., 1899
2
The Rover Boys on the Ocean; or, A Chase for a Fortune
The Mershon Co., 1899
3
The Rover Boys in the Jungle; or, Stirring Adventures in Africa
The Mershon Co., 1899
4
The Rover Boys Out West; or, The Search for a Lost Mine
The Mershon Co., 1900
5
The Rover Boys on the Great Lakes; or, The Secret of the Island Cave
The Mershon Co., 1901
6
The Rover Boys in the Mountains; or, A Hunt for Fun and Fortune
The Mershon Co., 1902
7
The Rover Boys on Land and Sea; or, The Crusoes of Seven Islands
The Mershon Co. 1903
8
The Rover Boys in Camp; or, The Rivals of Pine Island
The Mershon Co., 1904
9
The Rover Boys on the River; or, The Search for the Missing Houseboat
Stitt Publishing Co., New York, 1905
10
The Rover Boys on the Plains; or, The Mystery of Red Rock Ranch
The Mershon Co., 1906
11
The Rover Boys in Southern Waters; or, The Deserted Steam Yacht
Chatterton-Peck Co., 1907
12
The Rover Boys on the Farm; or, Last Days at Putnam Hall
Grosset & Dunlap, 1908
13
The Rover Boys on Treasure Isle; or, The Strange Cruise of the Steam Yacht
Grosset & Dunlap, 1909
14
The Rover Boys at College; or, The Right Road and the Wrong
Grosset & Dunlap, 1910
15
The Rover Boys Down East; or, The Struggle for the Stanhope Fortune
Grosset & Dunlap, 1911
16
The Rover Boys in the Air; or, From College Campus to the Clouds
Grosset & Dunlap, 1912
17
The Rover Boys in New York; or, Saving Their Father’s Honor
Grosset & Dunlap, 1913
18
The Rover Boys in Alaska; or, Lost in the Fields of Ice
Grosset & Dunlap, 1914
19
The Rover Boys in Business; or, The Case of the Missing Bonds
Grosset & Dunlap, 1915
SECOND SERIES
Note re Second Series: "The Rover boys' children (Fred, son of Sam Rover; Jack, son of Dick; Andy and Randy, twin sons of Tom) became the main characters of the "second series"... The elder Rovers continued making appearances in the second series." -- Wikipedia
No. / Title / First publisher / First year of publication
20
The Rover Boys on a Tour; or, Last Days at Brill College
Grosset & Dunlap, 1916
21
The Rover Boys at Colby Hall; or, The Struggles of the Young Cadets
Grosset & Dunlap, 1917
22
The Rover Boys on Snowshoe Island; or, The Old Lumberman’s Treasure Box
Grosset & Dunlap, 1918
23
The Rover Boys Under Canvas; or, The Mystery of the Wrecked Submarine
Grosset & Dunlap, 1919
24
The Rover Boys on a Hunt; or, The Mysterious House in the Woods
Grosset & Dunlap, 1920
25
The Rover Boys in the Land of Luck; or, Stirring Adventures in the Oil Fields
Grosset & Dunlap, 1921
26
The Rover Boys at Big Horn Ranch; or, The Cowboys’ Big Roundup
Grosset & Dunlap, 1922
27
The Rover Boys at Big Bear Lake; or, The Camps of the Rival Cadets
Grosset & Dunlap, 1923
28
The Rover Boys Shipwrecked; or, A Thrilling Hunt for Pirates’ Gold
Grosset & Dunlap, 1924
29
The Rover Boys on Sunset Trail; or, The Old Miner’s Mysterious Message
Grosset & Dunlap, 1925
30
The Rover Boys Winning a Fortune; or, Strenuous Days Ashore and Afloat
Grosset & Dunlap, 1926
WHITMAN PUBLISHING CO. REPRINTS
Note: The following titles, which were originally published with series numbers 1, 2, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, and 14 - see above), were reprinted by the Whitman Publishing Co., Racine, Wisconsin in the 1940s.
Whitman no.: 2335
Title: The Rover Boys at School; or, The Cadets of Putnam Hall
Whitman no.: 2336
The Rover Boys on the Ocean; or, A Chase for a Fortune
Whitman no.: 2337
The Rover Boys on Land and Sea; or, The Crusoes of Seven Islands
Whitman no.: 2338
The Rover Boys in Camp; or, The Rivals of Pine Island
Whitman no.: 2339
The Rover Boys on the Plains; or, The Mystery of Red Rock Ranch
Whitman no.: 2340
The Rover Boys in Southern Waters; or, The Deserted Steam Yacht
Whitman no.: 2341
The Rover Boys on Treasure Isle; or, The Strange Cruise of the Steam Yacht
Whitman no.: 2342
The Rover Boys at College; or, The Right Road and the Wrong
Author: David Paul Wagner