Mary Maydwell Martin
Mary Maydwell Martin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Adelaide, Australia |
| Died | January 25, 1973 (aged 57) |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, bookseller |
| Known for | Founder of the Mary Martin Bookshop |
Mary Maydwell Martin (20 July 1915 – 25 January 1973) was an Australian entrepreneur in the book retail industry and the originator of the Mary Martin Bookshop.
History
Mary was born in Adelaide to Ernest Montgomerie Martin AMIEE (1878–1956) and Lorna Gledstanes Martin, née Jacob (1889–1973), both affiliated with the Unitarian Christian Church on Wakefield Street. Her lineage included prominent figures such as vigneron Henry Maydwell Martin and educator Caroline Jacob, reflecting a distinguished family background.
In 1945, Mary launched the Mary Martin Book Shop on Grenfell Street in Adelaide. Two years later, in 1947, she formed a business alliance with Max Harris, who contributed a newsletter entitled Mary's Own Paper. The bookstore relocated multiple times, ultimately occupying a substantial premises within the Da Costa Building on Gawler Place by 1957. Following several visits to India, Mary made a permanent move there in 1962, divesting her ownership interests to Max Harris and Yvonne Harris.
While residing in India, she initiated a mail-order book enterprise headquartered in Bangalore, with her sister Florence overseeing financial affairs from Australia. Additionally, Mary promoted indigenous arts and crafts through Community Aid Abroad and trained T. R. Kesavamurthy to administer her book operations. Due to health considerations, the pair relocated to Kotagiri in 1965, where Mary contributed as honorary treasurer and editor of the newsletter for the Nilgiris Adivasi Welfare Association.
Her legacy includes a dispensary named in her honor located in Balwadi, India, alongside a memorial fund established in Adelaide designed to sustain her charitable initiatives.
During the late 1970s, the Mary Martin bookshop network was acquired by Macmillans. By 1998, four stores bearing the Mary Martin name were functioning across Australia, while the Kesavamurthy family continued managing Mary Martin Booksellers from Coimbatore, India. Presently, Mary Martin Booksellers operates its Head Office out of Singapore.
Mary also played a foundational role in establishing the South Australian branch of the Contemporary Art Society of Australia and was awarded the Tormore prize for English Literature in 1939.
Further reading
- Julie Lewis, Mary Martin: A Double Life: Australia-India, 1915-1973, St. Lucia, Queensland: University of Queensland Press, 1979.