Holbrook was successful in his Boston business and used his profits for producing equipment to use in educational establishments. In 1825 Holbrook began to manufacture cheap apparatus for illustrating Geography, Geometry, and Natural Philosophy which he expanded in 1829 with another educator in Boston and it was known in the United States schools as the Holbrook School Apparatus Manufacturing Company. He traveled throughout the New England states promoting the lyceum school idea with instruction pamphlets he created and lectures he did using these teaching aids. The movement had developed into the National American Lyceum in New York City by 1831. His lyceum system concept was published in the "First Quarterly Report of the Universal Lyceum" journal in 1837 and in "The Self Instructor and Journal of the Universal Lyceum" magazine in 1842.