Here are the original advertisements from the Thompson and Thomas catalogues for these comics.

For more information, see Comics.

Glick’s Bad Boy was a short series of columns that appeared in a number of Kansas newspapers in the late spring of 1883. These columns were in the Fort Scott Monitor, a Kansas Newspaper, and then syndicated to a number of other Kansas publications. The writings consisted of the “Bad Boy” talking to his barber about political issues. It was written by E. Vandergrift. The columns were not meant to be humorous at all.

Apparently the columns portrayed some inside history of the first ever democratic administration in Kansas and they showed the democrats were “not as advertised”. Governor George Washington Glick was the first democratic governor in Kansas and these writings were not kind to him.

Here are two columns.	5/10/1883

The first book edition of this title was published in 1908 by Thompson and Thomas, a Chicago area book publisher. It had the copyright as of December 9, 1908. It was illustrated by Charles Lederer.

This title was previously published in serialized form beginning in August, 1908. W. G. Chapman held an earlier 1908 copyright and as a book agent with the International Press Bureau was responsible for syndicating this title in numerous newspapers.

Here is an ad announcing the Airship series to be published in The Pittsburgh Press. It is dated August 12, 1908.

Here is the April 23, 1909 column from The Virginia Enterprise (Virginia, Minnesota)

These serialized parts ran were published as late as November, 1909. Not infrequently they were published in a different chronological sequence as the book chapters. In addition some of the serialized columns were never published in book form.

For more information, see Peck’s Bad Boy in an Airship.

Peck’s Bad Boy with the Circus was copyrighted by Joseph Bowles in 1905. Bowles ran the Chicago based Bowles Syndicate Company. He organized the syndication of this story in newspapers throughout the country. The text and line drawn illustrations first appeared serialized in newspapers starting in 1905. All 26 chapters were published weekly in numerous newspapers.

Here is an advertisement for the series from the Los Angeles Herald dated June 25, 1905.

Some newspapers were publishing the weekly chapters as late as June of 1907. Interestingly a number of chapters that appeared in the newspapers were not part of the 319 page book. Two examples are shown below. It is unclear how many extra chapters were written. Based on the travels of Peck and His Pa in the book, these new chapters go further into the western part of the United States.

Los Angeles Herald June 25, 1905

June 1, 1906 Muldrow Press, Muldrow, Oklahoma

June 15, 1906 Muldrow Press, Muldrow, Oklahoma

For more information, see Peck’s Bad Boy with the Circus

The first book edition of this title was published by Thompson and Thomas in 1905. Prior to that however, Peck’s Bad Boy Abroad was published in serialized form in numerous newspapers throughout the country. Newspapers carried the story between 1904 and 1905. Apparently it was copyrighted and distributed by Joseph B. Bowles who ran the Bowles Syndicate Company from his office in Chicago.

Each week a newspaper would print what eventually would be a chapter in the book. Not all of the chapters in the book were serialized in newspapers and the chapters in the newspaper versions were not necessarily published in the same as order as the chapters in the book. A few of the newspaper columns appeared in the book and a number of the chapters in the book were never part of the newspaper serialization. Not all of the newspapers began the publication of Peck’s Bad Boy Abroad at the same time.

The first printings were in September,1904 and those newspapers began with book Chapter 34 (out of 38 chapters). The newspapers printed illustrations for each chapter all of which ended up in the book although many of the book pictures were never included in the newspaper versions.

Here is an ad from the September 23, 1904 Washington Post:

The Pittburgh Sunday Press advertised The upcoming Peck story in these ads.

For more information, see Peck’s Bad Boy Abroad

Here is the Peck’s Sun for Saturday, February 17, 1883. Note the Peck’s Bad Boy column on the far left above the fold. This column, in its entirety, appeared in Peck’s Bad Boy and His Pa as chapter 35 in the 1883 Belford, Clarke and Co. first edition. This is the penultimate chapter in the book.

This 15 page book with blue backing book has Stanton and Vliet Company ads on the last page. Thus, even though the imprint is Thompson and Thomas, it clearly was published by Stanton and Van Vliet Company.

This comic has the Stanton and Van Vliet Company imprint. It was published between 1917 and the 1920’s.

For more information, see Comics.