Humphrey Robinson
Humphrey Robinson | |
|---|---|
| Died | 13 November 1670 |
| Occupation(s) | Publisher, bookseller |
| Years active | Mid-1600s |
| Known for | Leading publisher and bookseller in London; collaboration with Humphrey Moseley on English Renaissance drama publications; Warden and Master of the Stationers Company |
Humphrey Robinson (died 13 November 1670) was a leading publisher and bookseller based in London during the mid-1600s.
The son of Bernard Robinson, a clerk from Carlisle, Humphrey gained freeman status within the Stationers Company on 30 June 1623. From his establishment known as the Three Pigeons located in St. Paul's Churchyard, he emerged as one of the most significant and influential booksellers of his era.
Partnership with Moseley
Robinson is particularly noted for his collaboration with Humphrey Moseley in issuing important collections of English Renaissance drama. Their most notable joint effort was the publication of the first Beaumont and Fletcher folio in 1647. Additionally, they published James Shirley's Six New Plays (1653), works by the Duke of Newcastle, and Sir William Davenant's Love and Honour (both released in 1649). Following Moseley’s death in 1661, Robinson worked alongside Anne Moseley to bring out the 1661 edition of Beaumont and Fletcher's Beggars' Bush.
Solo endeavors
On his own, Robinson issued John Milton’s masque Comus (1637) as well as Peter Hausted’s contentious play The Rival Friends (1645). Beyond drama, his publications included Sir Francis Bacon’s assorted writings (1629) and Robert Norton's The Gunner (1664). It is also possible that Robinson participated in early private news distribution services, which played a crucial role in information dissemination before newspapers became widespread.
Robinson collaborated with other stationers on various projects, such as the 1657 release of Bishop Brian Walton’s polyglot Bible. He maintained a strong foothold in religious publishing, a key market segment for seventeenth-century booksellers.
Later years
Robinson held the office of Warden within the Stationers Company in 1653 and served as Master in both 1661 and 1667. In 1667, he oversaw the reconstruction of the guildhall following the devastation caused by the Great Fire of London (1666). During the Commonwealth period of the mid-1650s, he maintained extensive correspondence with Joseph Williamson, who later became Secretary of State. These surviving letters highlight Robinson’s prominence as a publisher and his commercial ties with French printers facilitated through Williamson.
Upon his passing, Robinson left behind two children: Humphrey, who was a fellow at All Souls' College, Oxford, and Grace, who inherited two properties situated in St. Paul's Churchyard. The Three Pigeons shop was leased by stationer John Baker II from Robinson’s heirs and remained operational under Baker until 1684.