George Smith (publisher)
Encyclopedia
George Smith was a Scottish born publisher who co-founded, along with Alexander Elder, the important British publishing company Smith, Elder & Co.
. His father died while he was very young, and the property, badly managed by an uncle, was lost before George came of age. As a young man George was apprenticed to Isaac Forsyth, a bookseller and banker in the town of Elgin, Moray
. While still young George moved to London with no resources beyond his own power to work. He was by nature hard working and conscientious, and made steady progress after coming to London. He first found employment in the publishing house of Rivington in St. Paul's Churchyard. His next employer was the famous publisher John Murray
. While working for Murray, he was once sent to deliver proof sheets
to Lord Byron.
, set up as partners in a small business. They opened shop at 158 Fenchurch Street
as booksellers and stationers. The new firm was called Smith & Elder. After 3 years, the partners added publishing to the other branches of their business. In March 1819 they were admitted to the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers
. Membership in the company was necessary to the pursuit of publishing in London. On July 19, 1819 Smith & Elder entered their first publication in the Stationer's Company register. This was a collection of sermons and expositions by John Morison
.
George Smith was married on October 12, 1820 to Elizabeth Murray, the daughter of Alexander Murray, a successful glass-ware manufacturer in London. The young couple lived over the Smith & Elder shop in Fenchurch Street, and it was here that their eldest son (of 6 children) George Murray Smith
was born on March 19, 1824.
Later in 1824 the firm of Smith & Elder was moved to No. 65 Cornhill, London. After this move the firm was joined by a third partner and acquired its permanent designation of Smith, Elder & Co. Their new partner had important connections in India, and he brought to the firm the new department of an Indian agency. The firm began their Indian operations with the export of books and stationary to officers of the East India Company
, and eventually expanded into banking and the export of other commodities. The firm's Indian interests came to be the most important and lucrative branch of their business.
. In 1843 George Murray Smith was allowed to assume control of the publishing interests of Smith, Elder & Co.
At the end of 1844 George Smith fell ill from Cerebral softening
. He moved from Denmark Hill to a small farm at Boxhill. He was unable to attend to the business of the firm, and his place was taken by George Murray Smith soon after he came of age in 1845. George Smith died at the age of 57 in August 1846.
Smith, Elder & Co.
Smith, Elder & Co. was a firm of British publishers who were most noted for the works they published in the 19th century.The firm was founded by George Smith and Alexander Elder and successfully continued by George Murray Smith .They are notable for producing the first edition of the Dictionary...
Early life
George Smith was born in Scotland in 1789. His father was a small landowner in the County of MorayCounty of Moray
Moray is one of the registration counties of Scotland, bordering Nairnshire to the west, Inverness-shire to the south, and Banffshire to the east...
. His father died while he was very young, and the property, badly managed by an uncle, was lost before George came of age. As a young man George was apprenticed to Isaac Forsyth, a bookseller and banker in the town of Elgin, Moray
Elgin, Moray
Elgin is a former cathedral city and Royal Burgh in Moray, Scotland. It is the administrative and commercial centre for Moray. The town originated to the south of the River Lossie on the higher ground above the flood plain. Elgin is first documented in the Cartulary of Moray in 1190...
. While still young George moved to London with no resources beyond his own power to work. He was by nature hard working and conscientious, and made steady progress after coming to London. He first found employment in the publishing house of Rivington in St. Paul's Churchyard. His next employer was the famous publisher John Murray
John Murray (publisher)
John Murray is an English publisher, renowned for the authors it has published in its history, including Jane Austen, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Lord Byron, Charles Lyell, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Herman Melville, and Charles Darwin...
. While working for Murray, he was once sent to deliver proof sheets
Galley proof
In printing and publishing, proofs are the preliminary versions of publications meant for review by authors, editors, and proofreaders, often with extra wide margins. Galley proofs may be uncut and unbound, or in some cases electronic...
to Lord Byron.
Career
In 1816 George and another Scottish immigrant to London, Alexander Elder, a native of Banff, AberdeenshireBanff, Aberdeenshire
Banff is a town in the Banff and Buchan area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Banff is situated on Banff Bay and faces the town of Macduff across the estuary of the River Deveron...
, set up as partners in a small business. They opened shop at 158 Fenchurch Street
Fenchurch Street
Fenchurch Street is a street in the City of London home to a number of shops, pubs and offices. It links Aldgate at its eastern end with Lombard Street and Gracechurch Street to the west. To the south of Fenchurch Street and towards its eastern end is Fenchurch Street railway station...
as booksellers and stationers. The new firm was called Smith & Elder. After 3 years, the partners added publishing to the other branches of their business. In March 1819 they were admitted to the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers
Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers
The Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Stationers' Company was founded in 1403; it received a Royal Charter in 1557...
. Membership in the company was necessary to the pursuit of publishing in London. On July 19, 1819 Smith & Elder entered their first publication in the Stationer's Company register. This was a collection of sermons and expositions by John Morison
John Morison (pastor)
Rev. Dr John Morison 1791 - 1859) - occasionally spelt Morrison - was a longstanding editor of the Evangelical Magazine & Missionary Chronicle, author of theological and biographical subjects, and a Congregational pastor at Trevor Chapel, Chelsea, London...
.
George Smith was married on October 12, 1820 to Elizabeth Murray, the daughter of Alexander Murray, a successful glass-ware manufacturer in London. The young couple lived over the Smith & Elder shop in Fenchurch Street, and it was here that their eldest son (of 6 children) George Murray Smith
George Murray Smith
George Murray Smith was the son of George Smith who with Alexander Elder started the Victorian publishing firm of Smith, Elder & Co.. His brainchild, The Cornhill Magazine, was the premier fiction-carrying magazine of the 19th century.The firm was extremely successful. G. M...
was born on March 19, 1824.
Later in 1824 the firm of Smith & Elder was moved to No. 65 Cornhill, London. After this move the firm was joined by a third partner and acquired its permanent designation of Smith, Elder & Co. Their new partner had important connections in India, and he brought to the firm the new department of an Indian agency. The firm began their Indian operations with the export of books and stationary to officers of the East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
, and eventually expanded into banking and the export of other commodities. The firm's Indian interests came to be the most important and lucrative branch of their business.
Later life
In the 1830s the publishing department of Smith, Elder & Co. won an assured reputation. The firm published a wide variety of items, including novels, translations, pamphlets, and collections of prints. In 1838 George Murray Smith joined the firm, where George Smith gave him a thorough training in the business. In 1841 George moved the family to a home in Denmark HillDenmark Hill
Denmark Hill is an area and road in the London Borough of Southwark. The road forms part of the A215; north of Camberwell Green it becomes Camberwell Road; south of Red Post Hill it becomes Herne Hill. Its postcode is SE5. Nearby streets whose names refer to different aspects of the same...
. In 1843 George Murray Smith was allowed to assume control of the publishing interests of Smith, Elder & Co.
At the end of 1844 George Smith fell ill from Cerebral softening
Cerebral softening
In medicine, Cerebral softening is a localized softening of the brain substance, due to hemorrhage or inflammation. Three varieties, distinguished by their colour and representing different stages of the morbid process, are known respectively as red, yellow, and white softening.One notable victim...
. He moved from Denmark Hill to a small farm at Boxhill. He was unable to attend to the business of the firm, and his place was taken by George Murray Smith soon after he came of age in 1845. George Smith died at the age of 57 in August 1846.
External links
- The House of Smith Elder
- Memoir of George Smith by Sidney Lee