Cotta Family Books by Mrs. Elizabeth Rundle Charles

Published by M. W. Dodd/ Dodd & Mead/ Dodd, Mead & Co.

These titles had a number of different publications and formats.
M. W. Dodd published #1-6, 14
Dodd & Mead published #1-12, 14
Dodd, Mead & Co. published all fifteen titles.

Dodd, Mead and its iterations published the American first editions.
Volume #1 was initially published in the fine edition with beveled boards. First edition notes an 1864 title page and the back ads do not mention any other Cotta books.
Volume #2 first edition notes 1864 title page and ads in the back mentions #1 Chronicles but no other Cotta titles.

* Although originally published by M. W. Dodd in 1869, it was not added to the series until about 1880. It was originally published in the Format 1 fine edition outside of the series.

As the years went on various boxed sets of these books containing between three and fifteen volumes were sold.

In 1865 ads all four of the editions were noted for volumes #1-3

The first four formats were initially issued by M. W. Dodd. Dodd & Mead published all four of these formats.

Format 1: Volumes #1-7 1864-1871
Fine edition. Cloth. Brown, green and blue seen. Beveled boards. Crown 8 vo.

M. W. Dodd

The books of Formats 2-3 do not state which edition they are. Shown just below are books that are from this era but not as of yet placed into a particular format.

Format 2: Volumes #1-7 1865-1871
Cabinet edition. Sold in boxed sets.

Format 3: Volumes #1-7 1865-1871
Sunday School Edition. Sold in boxed sets

Format 4: Volumes #1-7 1865-1871
Cloth. Ribbed 12 mo. Sold in boxed sets.

This format has been seen with two 1866 M. W. Dodd publications: Early Dawn and Chronicles of the Schonberg-Cotta Family. Whether it is the Cabinet Edition or another is not known.

This format probably is a later version of Format 1.

Format 5: 1873-1877
Hampstead Edition
Cloth. Orange. Black lettering and design on the cover. Gilt lettering on the spine. 4.75" x 7".

Beginning in he early 1870's the books of this series were sold separately as well as in boxed sets.
It is not clear if the earlier boxes only included some of the books.

Boxed sets: Volumes #1-7 1876, 1877 Volumes #1-8, 11, 12.

In 1882-1884 the 14 volume boxed set did not include "Three Martyrs of the 19th Century".
By 1887 the set was being sold in a fifteen book boxed set.

The two formats that were published in this boxed set era:

Format 6
Cloth. Various colors. Black design and lettering on the cover. Gilt lettering on the spine.
1873 -late 1870's.

Format 7
Cloth. Black cover design and gilt spine lettering. 7.5" x 5"
1880-

Joan the Maid was published in this format in 1879. No other titles as of yet have been seen in this style.