Wesley and Fletcher, into their establishment
as apprentices. These young men were taught the business thoroughly, and
when they had completed their apprenticeship were admitted into the firm
as partners, the former entering the firm in 1823, and the latter in
1826. In 1825 the style of the firm was changed to Harper & Brothers,
and the business was removed to 81 and 82 Cliff Street, on a portion of
the site of the present establishment. It was then the largest
printing-house in New York, employing fifty workmen and ten hand
presses.

In 1850; the Harpers decided to commence the publication of a monthly
periodical, and, accordingly, in the summer of that year they issued the
first number of "Harper's New Monthly Magazine," which, in point of
popularity, stands today, after a career of twenty years, at the head of
American magazines, and boasts of a circulation of 180,000 copies. The
recognition of another want of the public led, in 1857, to the
establishment of an illustrated newspaper, "Harper's Weekly," which has
at present a circulation of 100,000 copies. In 1869 they began the
publication of a new weekly fashion paper, called "the Bazaar," which
has reached a circulation of 75,000 copies.

From the first, the Harpers made their house a popular establishment.
They sought public favor by legitimate means, and generally managed to
retain it in the same way. From an early period in their history, their
imprint on a book has been sufficient to secure its sale; and they have
managed to identify themselves so thoroughly with American progress that
the whole country feels an interest in their success. By studying the
popular taste closely, they were enabled to publish in rapid succession
works suited to it; and by fair and liberal dealings with authors they
soon drew around them a corps of the best writers in the Union.

Their success was rapid, and by the year 1853 their establishment had
increased in size so much that it occupied "nine large contiguous
buildings, full of costly machinery of every kind, with stores of plates
and books." On the 10th of December of that year, a workman in one of
the upper rooms carelessly threw a piece of lighted paper into what he
supposed to be a pail of water, but which proved to be camphene. In a
few minutes the building was in flames; all efforts to save it were in
vain. The fire spread rapidly, and in a few hours the entire
establishment was in ruins. The loss was one million of dol