John Harrison Stonehouse

John Harrison Stonehouse
Born	1864 Wilton, Wiltshire, England
Died	1937-08-27 Muswell Hill, London, England
Occupation(s)	Bookseller, bibliophile, author
Known for	Expertise on Charles Dickens; popularizing Cosway bindings; commissioning the "Great Omar" book binding

John Harrison Stonehouse (1864 – 27 August 1937) was a distinguished English bookseller and an expert on Charles Dickens, who advanced from apprentice to managing director at the London firm Sotheran's through his entrepreneurial acumen. He played a key role in introducing and popularizing the "Cosway" binding style and commissioned an elaborate edition of Edward FitzGerald's The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, which was tragically lost when the RMS Titanic sank in 1912; Stonehouse later authored a book about this event in 1933.

Stonehouse's expertise lay particularly in manuscripts. Among his notable acquisitions was a previously undiscovered collection of Dickens materials relating to the author's early romance with Maria Beadnell, which served as the foundation for a publication released in the United States. Additionally, he published works focusing on Dickens's formative years and amassed 37 volumes concerning the prophetess Joanna Southcott, as well as private correspondence between playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan and Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire.

In 1936, he held the presidency of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association. Stonehouse passed away in 1937; poet Siegfried Sassoon commemorated him with an obituary entitled "Adventurer in Bookselling." Despite his professional success, he left behind limited financial resources, leading his widow to request assistance from his former employers.

Early life and family

Born in 1864 in Wilton, Wiltshire, John Stonehouse married Mary Martha. By 1891, they resided on Albert Street in Camden Town, and by 1901 had relocated to Bramshill Gardens, Dartmouth Park, where their children Dorothy, Joseph, and Ida lived with them. Subsequently, the family settled at 19 Grand Avenue in Muswell Hill, located in north London.

Career

Stonehouse began his career at London booksellers Sotheran's in 1884 as an apprentice. Demonstrating considerable skill in literacy, innovation, and marketing strategies, he ultimately rose to become managing director. During his tenure, he collaborated with prominent figures such as Henry Cecil Sotheran, scientific literature expert Heinrich Zeitlinger, and manager Alexander Railton. Focusing on manuscripts, Stonehouse secured key collections for Sotheran's, including a previously unknown cache of Dickens materials (1905), a set of 37 volumes related to prophetess Joanna Southcott (1906), and private letters exchanged between Richard Brinsley Sheridan and Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (1908).

Following Cecil Sotheran’s death in 1928, Stonehouse played a crucial role in preventing the closure of the company by convincing bookseller Gabriel Wells to purchase it and raise funds through share offerings. Later, investment banker Anthony de Rothschild facilitated full ownership of Sotheran's by his banking firm in 1957.

In 1933, Stonehouse initiated Piccadilly Notes, a periodical that combined Sotheran's catalogues with his column "Adventures in Bookselling," which offered insights into his professional experiences. This publication continued until his death and produced two additional issues until 1938; it was revived again in 1989. He also served as president of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association in 1936.

Cosway bindings

Between 1901 and 1902, Stonehouse launched the Cosway binding at Sotheran's: exquisite bindings distinguished by a small portrait on the front cover connected to the author or subject. The style was named after Richard Cosway, an 18th-century miniaturist whose artworks had recently been exhibited in London, and these editions were crafted by the Rivière bindery, featuring oil-on-ivory miniature paintings created by Caroline Billin Currie (d.1940). These delicate portraits were safeguarded beneath thin glass panes. Currie produced thousands of miniatures and at least 164 numbered fore-edge paintings for Sotheran’s, although her involvement remained undisclosed until 1911 when Stonehouse utilized her contribution as a marketing asset.

While bindings of this nature existed previously in 18th-century France and 19th-century America, it was the Cosway bindings from Sotheran’s that popularized the form and inspired imitators.

The "Great Omar"

In 1909, Stonehouse commissioned Sangorski & Sutcliffe to produce a special edition of Edward FitzGerald's The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. He tasked Francis Sangorski with creating "the greatest modern Binding in the world," imposing no financial constraints. The project spanned two years and incorporated 1,050 gemstones—including topaz, turquoise, ruby, amethyst, garnet, and olivine—set into 5,000 pieces of colored leather on a green morocco leather base. Stonehouse named this masterpiece the "Great Omar".

Despite its intricate craftsmanship and an asking price of £1,000—more than triple the cost of any other volume at Sotheran's—the book did not find a buyer. It was declined by both the King's librarian and notable bookseller Gabriel Wells. Efforts to display it in the United States were thwarted by customs complications. Eventually, Cecil Sotheran authorized an unrestricted sale at Sotheby's in March 1912, where Wells purchased it for £405. Wells then shipped the book aboard RMS Titanic, which sank, resulting in its loss.

The book’s ill-fated journey contributed to its reputation as "cursed." Its ornate design included three peacocks symbolizing immortality but also evoking pride and vanity—paralleling its extravagant commission and pricing. The front cover boasted 97 topazes and 250 amethysts; interior motifs such as a serpent entwined in an apple tree and a skull with ivory teeth symbolized temptation and mortality rather than eternal life. In 1912, Francis Sangorski drowned, and a subsequent replica was destroyed during the London Blitz.

Stonehouse chronicled the saga of this volume in 1933, solidifying its status as an extraordinary yet ill-starred luxury item within the rare book world.

Charles Dickens

Stonehouse concentrated his literary research on Charles Dickens. In 1905, he examined papers believed to be Dickens's original manuscripts, acquiring a poem called "The Bill of Fare" along with several romantic letters addressed to Maria Beadnell (1811–86), who eventually wed a merchant with greater social standing. Following discussions with Beadnell’s heirs, Stonehouse secured 18 letters, which he carefully transcribed and annotated, forming the foundation for a publication that identified Beadnell as the model for Dora in David Copperfield and Flora Finching in Little Dorrit.

Unable to find a publisher in England, Stonehouse took the correspondence and manuscript to America. Although John Pierpont Morgan, the industrialist and collector, declined the offer, St. Louis-based collector William K. Bixby accepted and released the work in 1908 under the title Charles Dickens and Maria Beadnell: Private correspondence. This edition was issued for members of The Bibliophile Society in Boston, Massachusetts, featuring a preface by Henry H. Harper and edited by Harvard University’s George Pierce Baker. Despite relying extensively on Stonehouse’s scholarship, his name was excluded, mentioned only obliquely within the preface.

In 1921, Stonehouse produced editions of Dickens’s readings from David Copperfield and Oliver Twist, incorporating his essay exploring the relationship between Dickens and Beadnell. The Oliver Twist readings, titled Sikes and Nancy, also included Stonehouse’s "A First Bibliography of the Reading Editions of Charles Dickens's Works". Between 1930 and 1931, he published a five-part series entitled Green Leaves: New chapters in the life of Charles Dickens, which concentrated on Dickens’s formative years and their impact on his writing; this was later compiled into a volume in 1931 and reissued with revisions in 1973 by Haskell House Publishers. In 1931–32, Stonehouse edited a serialized edition of The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club (The Pickwick Papers), contributing an introduction. In 1935, he prepared an integrated catalogue combining Dickens’s library at Gadshill with that of novelist William Thackeray, based on price lists from Sotheran’s.

Death and legacy

Stonehouse passed away on 27 August 1937 while living at 19 Grand Avenue, Muswell Hill, London. His cremation took place at Golders Green Crematorium, and he was commemorated with an obituary by Siegfried Sassoon in The Bookseller, titled "Adventurer in Bookselling," which referenced Stonehouse’s column "Adventures in Bookselling" from Piccadilly Notes. Another obituary appeared in The Publishers' Circular and the Publisher & Bookseller under the headline "Death of a Noted Bookseller and Bibliophile."

Probate was granted to his wife Mary Martha Stonehouse, valuing his estate at £604. By November, however, she sought financial assistance from Sotheran's due to limited resources and inability to work; her income was derived from renting rooms to lodgers. The firm provided her with £20 upfront along with a weekly pension of £1.

Stonehouse appears as a character in Craig O. Thompson’s 2001 novel Omar: A novel, which involves an effort to recover the "Great Omar" from the Titanic wreck site. His tenure at Sotheran's is extensively detailed in Victor Gray’s 2011 company history, Bookmen London: 250 years of Sotheran bookselling, especially chapter 12 entitled "The reign of Stonehouse."

Selected publications

• David Copperfield: An analysis in five chapters by Charles Dickens; reproduced from the privately issued 1866 edition, including a commentary on the romantic relationship between Charles Dickens and Maria Beadnell by John Harrison Stonehouse. Henry Sotheran & Co, London, 1921.
• Sikes and Nancy: A reading by Charles Dickens; reproduced from the privately printed edition once owned by Sir Henry Irving, with an introduction and bibliography by John Harrison Stonehouse. Henry Sotheran & Co, London, 1921.
• Green Leaves: Additional chapters on the life of Charles Dickens. Piccadilly Fountain Press, London, issued in five monthly installments 1930-31; compiled edition 1931. (Updated version, Haskell House Publishers, New York, 1973)
• The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. Piccadilly Fountain Press, London, 1931-32 (20 parts). (Editor and introduction)
• The Tale of the Great "Omar", Bound by Francis Longinus Sangorski, and its Romantic Disappearance. Piccadilly Fountain Press, London, 1933.
• Catalogue of the Charles Dickens library from Gadshill reprinted from Sotheran's 'Price Current of Literature'; including catalogues of his art sold at Christie’s; W. M. Thackeray’s library auction; relics enhanced with his illustrations. Piccadilly Fountain Press, London, 1935. (Editor)

Further reading

• Baker, George Pierce. (Ed.) Charles Dickens and Maria Beadnell: Private correspondence. The Bibliophile Society, Boston, 1908.