
A History of Booksellers, the Old and the New
by Henry Curwen
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About This Book
Henry Curwen (1845–1892) was a journalist and author who became editor of the Times of India. First published in 1874, A History of Booksellers aimed at providing an informative but entertaining picture of British bookselling and publishing, by means of 'biographies' of the major publishing houses and their output. He begins with a general survey of publishing and bookselling from Roman times to the nineteenth century, including a discussion of copyright legislation. It is clear that by 1800 the demand for books was considerable and Alexander Donaldson, who specialised in cheap reprints of pop...
Chapters (478)
- A HISTORY OF BOOKSELLERS, THE OLD AND THE NEW.
- PREFACE.
- CONTENTS.
- THE BOOKSELLERS OF OLDEN TIMES.
- THE LONGMAN FAMILY. CLASSICAL AND EDUCATIONAL LITERATURE.
- CONSTABLE, CADELL, AND BLACK. THE “EDINBURGH REVIEW,” “WAVERLEY NOVELS,” AND “ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA.”
- JOHN MURRAY: BELLES-LETTRES AND TRAVELS.
- WILLIAM BLACKWOOD: “BLACKWOOD’S EDINBURGH MAGAZINE.”
- CHAMBERS, KNIGHT, AND CASSELL: “LITERATURE FOR THE PEOPLE.”
- HENRY COLBURN: THREE VOLUME NOVELS AND LIGHT LITERATURE.
- THE RIVINGTONS, THE PARKERS, AND JAMES NISBET: RELIGIOUS LITERATURE.
- BUTTERWORTH AND CHURCHILL: TECHNICAL LITERATURE.
- EDWARD MOXON: POETICAL LITERATURE.
- KELLY AND VIRTUE: THE “NUMBER” TRADE.
- THOMAS TEGG: BOOK-AUCTIONEERING AND THE “REMAINDER TRADE.”
- THOMAS NELSON: CHILDREN’S LITERATURE AND “BOOK-MANUFACTURING.”
- SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, AND CO.: COLLECTING FOR THE COUNTRY TRADE.
- CHARLES EDWARD MUDIE: THE LENDING LIBRARY.
- W. H. SMITH AND SON: RAILWAY LITERATURE.
- PROVINCIAL BOOKSELLERS.
- FOOTNOTES
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