George Robinson (bookseller)
George Robinson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Dalston, Cumberland, England |
| Died | 6 June 1801 (aged 64) Paternoster Row, London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Bookseller, publisher |
George Robinson (baptized 20 December 1736 – 6 June 1801) was a London-based English bookseller and publisher.
Robinson was responsible for publishing The Lady's Magazine, the periodical reference work The New Annual Register, along with various fiction and non-fiction titles, notably promoting female writers.
Life
Born in December 1736 and baptized in Dalston, Cumberland, Robinson relocated to London around 1755 to pursue employment opportunities. He had received a respectable education and demonstrated strong commercial skills.
His career began as an assistant to the publisher John Rivington in St Paul's Churchyard, followed by a position under Johnstone on Ludgate Hill. Circa 1763, Robinson formed a partnership with John Roberts to launch a bookselling enterprise in Paternoster Row, financially backed by Thomas Longman. Roberts passed away around 1776.
Shifting focus from bookselling to publishing, Robinson acquired numerous copyrights on his own. In 1773, he took over printing and publishing duties for The Lady's Magazine. By 1780, he had extended his operations into book wholesale. Starting from 1781, he published the New Annual Register. In 1784, he brought his son George and younger brother John (1753–1813) into the firm as partners.
Robinson printed John Ferdinand Smyth Stuart's A Tour in the United States of America (1784), agreeing on a payment of £160. His firm was penalized in 1793 for distributing copies of Thomas Paine's Rights of Man.
Known as a radical publisher, Robinson invested £500 in 1794 to acquire Ann Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho, a considerable sum equivalent to £58,735 in 2020 values. He subsequently obtained her travelogue A Journey Made in the Summer of 1794.
Peers commended Robinson for his honesty and generosity; Thomas Cadell highlighted his flawless reputation, while William West hailed him as "the Prince, nay, the King of Booksellers" reflecting his prominence within the trade.
Robinson died at Paternoster Row on 6 June 1801. His son and brother maintained the business until their respective deaths in 1811 and 1813.
Some books published
- Jane Timbury, anonymously released The Male-coquette:, or the History of the Hon. Edward Astell (G. Robinson and J. Roberts, 1770)
- Thomas Slack, The Banker's Sure Guide; or Monied Man's Assistant (3rd edition, 1772)
- Benjamin Gooch, Medical and chirurgical observations (1773)
- Richard Chandler, Travels in Asia Minor, 1764-1765 (1775)
- Nicholas Machiavel, The Works of Nicholas Machiavel (1775)
- Miscellaneous Dissertations on Rural Subjects (1775)
- Antoine-Yves Goguet, The Origin of Laws, Arts, and Sciences among Ancient Nations (1775)
- Joseph Priestley, The History and Present State of Electricity (new edition, 1775)
- Richard Chandler, Travels in Greece: account of a tour at the expense of the Society of Dilettanti (1775)
- Salomon Gessner, New Idylles (1776)
- Thomas Warton, The Oxford Sausage: Select Poetical Pieces by Oxford Wits (1777)
- Johann Reinhold Forster, Observations Made during a Voyage round the World (1778)
- Maximilien de Béthune, Duke of Sully, Memoirs of Maximilian de Bethune, Duke of Sully, prime minister to Henry the Great (1778)
- John Richardson, Theoretic Hints on Improved Brewing Practices (1777)
- The New Annual Register (annual publication from 1781)
- Anna Seward, Poem to the Memory of Lady Miller (1782)
- Wyndham Beawes, Lex Mercatoria rediviva: a Complete Guide for Merchants and Traders (1783)
- George Berkeley, The Works of George Berkeley, D.D., Late Bishop of Cloyne in Ireland, including life and letters (1784, 2 volumes)
- John Ferdinand Smyth, A Tour of the United States of America (1784)
- Robert Beatson, A Political Index to Histories of Great Britain and Ireland; complete register of honours and offices (1786)
- Gregory Griffin, The Microcosm, a Periodical Work (1787)
- Louis de Chénier, The Present State of the Empire of Morocco: its geography, products, laws, and customs (1788)
- Jane Timbury, A Sequel to the Philanthropic Rambler (London: G.G.J. & J. Robinson et al., 1791)
- John Rannie, Poems, second edition (1791)
- Ann Radcliffe, The Mysteries of Udolpho (4 volumes, 1794)
- Ann Radcliffe, A Journey Made in the Summer of 1794 (1795)
- Eliza Hamilton, Translation of Letters of a Hindoo Rajah (1796)
- William Godwin, The Enquirer: Reflections on Education, Manners, and Literature (1797)
- Helen Maria Williams, A Tour in Switzerland and Comparative Sketches of Paris (1798)
- Thomas Bewick, A History of British Birds, volume 1 (1797), volume 2 (1804)
Additional sources
- G. E. Bentley, Jr., "Copyright Records in the George Robinson Archive: William Godwin and Associates 1713-1820," featured in Studies in Bibliography, Volume 35 (1982), pages 67–110
- Gentleman’s Magazine, 1801, Volume I, page 578
- John Nichols, Literary Anecdotes of the Eighteenth Century, Volume III (1814), pages 445–449; Volume VI, page 282; Volume IX, page 542
- John Nichols, Illustrations of the Literary History of the Eighteenth Century, Volume 8, pages 469–470
- Charles Henry Timperley, Encyclopædia of Literary and Typographical Anecdote (1842), pages 781, 808, 843
External resources
- London-based G. G. and J. Robinson (Paternoster-Row) at The Online Books Page
- George Robinson (1736–1801) at WorldCat