J. M. Foutz published the 438 page edition before 1901 since it does not have the 1901 R. W. Paton copyright noted on the title page. It is not known whether this edition was earlier or later than the first Thompson and Thomas copy. I have no direct information about this publishing firm but it is interesting that a Thompson and Foutz firm was active in Chicago in the 1890’s. I suspect that this firm was the predecessor to both Thompson and Thomas and J. M. Foultz.

In June, 1883 three months after the release of Peck’s Bad Boy and His Father, while Pidgin and Peck were planning their Peck’s Bad Boy play, Dan Sully (1855-1910) produced a play called Peck’s Bad Boy and His Father. Peck got an injunction in Providence, Rhode Island stopping Sully. Subsequently in 1884 Sully changed some content, adapted parts of an English play called The Chimney Corner and then changed the name of his play to “Our Corner Grocery” (later The Corner Grocery). This new three (and later four) act play ran for a number of years at similar venues as the authorized Peck’s Bad Boy play. Despite the injunction this play had a number of similarities to the Peck’s Bad Boy stories / play. Interestingly Sully’s play toured for a number of years and in 1901 the main character was played by Dot Karroll who had previously portrayed the “Bad Boy” in Peck’s Bad Boy.

Here are trade cards advertising Sully’s play.

Another pirate active in Illinois in the late 1880’s was Matt Kurell. Kurell actually advertised that he was an authorized producer. Obviously he was not as is pointed out in this newspaper clipping. A trade magazine went so far as to say that laws should be passed so sneaks like Matt Kusell should be put in state prison.

Stanton and Van Vliet Co. published this title in 1918. It has 546 pages and is basically identical to the Charles C. Thompson Co. Book.

The softcover version was priced at 10 cents. It has the Saalfield identifying number 1314. The hardcover book was 15 cents and is number 1084.

Both books have identical text. Here is the hardcover 1934 format.

Here is a 4.5″ x 2.5″ trade card for “A Bad Boy’s Diary”. The 25 Rose Street address indicates an 1881-1882 date. The 10 cent price means that this card was referring to one of the wraps’ editions published in parts.

Hurst Post-1909 Dust Jacket

This one page advertisement appeared in a July, 1921 Publishers’ Weekly magazine. Stanton and Van Vliet Co. were attempting to take advantage of the Peck’s Bad Boy movie to help the slakes of its Peck’s Bad Boy books.

Burdett’s Seriocomic Recitations and Readings edited by James S. Burdett 1887

This 167 page paperbound book contains numerous short vignettes. Some are humorous (like Peck’s contribution) while others are moralistic. Peck’s 3.5 page blurb comes from Peck’s Bad Boy and His Pa Chapter 19 His Pa is “Nishiated”. It originally appeared in Peck’s Sun.

This book was published by the excelsior Publishing House in New York.

Burdett included a short one page vignette “That Bad Boy” from Peck’s Sun in his ” A New Collection of Comic Recitations and Humorous Readings” published in 1883 by Roorbach and Company.

1900 advertisement