John Taylor (1781-1864)
Encyclopedia
John Taylor was a publisher, essayist, and writer born in East Retford, Nottinghamshire
, the son of James Taylor and Sarah Drury. Although in pyramidical circles, he may be remembered for his contributions to Pyramidology
and his use of that subject in the fight against adopting the metric system of measurements, his real fame is as the publisher of both Keats and John Clare
.
He formed a partnership with J A Hessey as Taylor and Hessey at 93 Fleet Street. In 1819, through his cousin Edward Drury, a bookseller in Stamford
, he was introduced to John Clare
, the poet of Helpston in Northamptonshire. Some moderns have criticised him for correcting and 'polishing' some of Clare's rustic grammar and spelling for publication, but under the expectations of the era, this was probably unavoidable.
He was also Keats's publisher, and published works by Lamb, Coleridge
and Hazlitt
.
He wrote and published his own work, Junius Identified, which identified Junius
, the writer of Letters of Junius (probably correctly) as Sir Philip Francis
. This ran to two editions.
In 1821 John Taylor became involved in publishing Blackwood Magazine.
As a significant publisher of the day, he entertained widely.
In later years he became Bookseller and Publisher to the then new University of London
and, now in formal partnership with James Walton, moved to Upper Gower Street. As such he developed a line in what was then the new and developing field of standard academic text books.
John Taylor was the author of the 1859 book "The Great Pyramid", in which he argued that the numbers Pi
and Phi
may have been deliberately incorporated into the design of the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza, whose perimeter is close to 2Pi times its height. His theories in Pyramidology
were then expanded by Charles Piazzi Smyth
.
His 1864 book The Battle of the Standards was a campaign against the adoption of the metric system in England, and relied on results from his first book to show a divine origin for the British units of measure.
After his death, many of his manuscripts were put up for sale at Sothebys, but the poets of the Regency era were out of fashion, and the total only fetched c £250. However, when sold in 1897, the manuscripts of Endymion
and Lamia fetched £695 and £305 respectively, i.e. £4 and £12 per page respectively.
According to Bernard Lightman, these last two publications are strongly linked. He says: "Taylor and his disciples urged that the dimensions of the Pyramid showed the divine origin of the British units of length."
However, another interesting and significant connection is that his brother, James Taylor (1788–1863), banker of Bakewell in Derbyshire published a number of articles on bimetallism
.
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, the son of James Taylor and Sarah Drury. Although in pyramidical circles, he may be remembered for his contributions to Pyramidology
Pyramidology
Pyramidology is a term used, sometimes disparagingly, to refer to various pseudoscientific speculations regarding pyramids, most often the Giza Necropolis and the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt...
and his use of that subject in the fight against adopting the metric system of measurements, his real fame is as the publisher of both Keats and John Clare
John Clare
John Clare was an English poet, born the son of a farm labourer who came to be known for his celebratory representations of the English countryside and his lamentation of its disruption. His poetry underwent a major re-evaluation in the late 20th century and he is often now considered to be among...
.
Life
John Taylor's father was a printer and bookseller. He attended school first at Lincoln Grammar School and then he went to the local grammar school in Retford. John Taylor originally apprenticed to his father but eventually he moved to London and worked for James Lackington in 1803. Taylor left after a short while because of his insufficient salary.He formed a partnership with J A Hessey as Taylor and Hessey at 93 Fleet Street. In 1819, through his cousin Edward Drury, a bookseller in Stamford
Stamford, Lincolnshire
Stamford is a town and civil parish within the South Kesteven district of the county of Lincolnshire, England. It is approximately to the north of London, on the east side of the A1 road to York and Edinburgh and on the River Welland...
, he was introduced to John Clare
John Clare
John Clare was an English poet, born the son of a farm labourer who came to be known for his celebratory representations of the English countryside and his lamentation of its disruption. His poetry underwent a major re-evaluation in the late 20th century and he is often now considered to be among...
, the poet of Helpston in Northamptonshire. Some moderns have criticised him for correcting and 'polishing' some of Clare's rustic grammar and spelling for publication, but under the expectations of the era, this was probably unavoidable.
He was also Keats's publisher, and published works by Lamb, Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, Romantic, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla...
and Hazlitt
William Hazlitt
William Hazlitt was an English writer, remembered for his humanistic essays and literary criticism, and as a grammarian and philosopher. He is now considered one of the great critics and essayists of the English language, placed in the company of Samuel Johnson and George Orwell. Yet his work is...
.
He wrote and published his own work, Junius Identified, which identified Junius
Junius
Junius was the pseudonym of a writer who contributed a series of letters to the Public Advertiser, from 21 January 1769 to 21 January 1772. The signature had been already used, apparently by him, in a letter of 21 November 1768...
, the writer of Letters of Junius (probably correctly) as Sir Philip Francis
Philip Francis
Philip Francis may refer to:*Philip Francis , English politician*Francis Philip Francis , English cricketer*Philip Francis , American golfer...
. This ran to two editions.
In 1821 John Taylor became involved in publishing Blackwood Magazine.
As a significant publisher of the day, he entertained widely.
In later years he became Bookseller and Publisher to the then new University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
and, now in formal partnership with James Walton, moved to Upper Gower Street. As such he developed a line in what was then the new and developing field of standard academic text books.
John Taylor was the author of the 1859 book "The Great Pyramid", in which he argued that the numbers Pi
Pi
' is a mathematical constant that is the ratio of any circle's circumference to its diameter. is approximately equal to 3.14. Many formulae in mathematics, science, and engineering involve , which makes it one of the most important mathematical constants...
and Phi
Golden ratio
In mathematics and the arts, two quantities are in the golden ratio if the ratio of the sum of the quantities to the larger quantity is equal to the ratio of the larger quantity to the smaller one. The golden ratio is an irrational mathematical constant, approximately 1.61803398874989...
may have been deliberately incorporated into the design of the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza, whose perimeter is close to 2Pi times its height. His theories in Pyramidology
Pyramidology
Pyramidology is a term used, sometimes disparagingly, to refer to various pseudoscientific speculations regarding pyramids, most often the Giza Necropolis and the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt...
were then expanded by Charles Piazzi Smyth
Charles Piazzi Smyth
Charles Piazzi Smyth , was Astronomer Royal for Scotland from 1846 to 1888, well-known for many innovations in astronomy and his pyramidological and metrological studies of the Great Pyramid of Giza....
.
His 1864 book The Battle of the Standards was a campaign against the adoption of the metric system in England, and relied on results from his first book to show a divine origin for the British units of measure.
After his death, many of his manuscripts were put up for sale at Sothebys, but the poets of the Regency era were out of fashion, and the total only fetched c £250. However, when sold in 1897, the manuscripts of Endymion
Endymion (poem)
Endymion is a poem by John Keats first published in 1818. Beginning famously with the line "A thing of beauty is a joy for ever", Endymion, like many epic poems in English , is written in rhyming couplets in iambic pentameter...
and Lamia fetched £695 and £305 respectively, i.e. £4 and £12 per page respectively.
Publications
- Taylor, John. Junius Identified, Taylor and Hessey, two editions, ? and 1818.
- Taylor, John. The great pyramid; why was it built: & who built it? Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts, 1859 (London).
- Taylor, John. The battle of the standards. The ancient, of four thousand years, against the modern, of the last fifty years--The less perfect of the two. Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts & Green, 1864 (London).
According to Bernard Lightman, these last two publications are strongly linked. He says: "Taylor and his disciples urged that the dimensions of the Pyramid showed the divine origin of the British units of length."
However, another interesting and significant connection is that his brother, James Taylor (1788–1863), banker of Bakewell in Derbyshire published a number of articles on bimetallism
Bimetallism
In economics, bimetallism is a monetary standard in which the value of the monetary unit is defined as equivalent both to a certain quantity of gold and to a certain quantity of silver; such a system establishes a fixed rate of exchange between the two metals...
.