Way and Williams joined fifty-three other publishing firms in Chicago, but were determined to be unique.

They shared a vision of producing finely printed books in limited editions.

There was a heavy emphasis on British imports among the earlier titles, but gradually the emphasis shifted to American writers; and many prominent authors saw their books come to life with a Way and Williams imprint.

The firm published both well-known and relatively obscure authors, many of them from the Chicago literary scene.

Among the better-known writers represented by the firm were Kate Chopin, Charles Fletcher Lummis, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Allen White, Octave Thanet (Alice French), Edgar Lee Masters, and L. Frank Baum; and their works were often shown to advantage by the artistic input of Bruce Rogers, Maxfield Parrish, Will Bradley, and Frank Hazenplug, among others.