Thomas Cadell (publisher)
Thomas Cadell the elder | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1742 Bristol, England |
| Died | 1802 |
| Occupation(s) | Bookseller, publisher |
| Years active | 1758–1793 |
| Known for | Publishing works by Edward Gibbon, Samuel Johnson, Robert Burns, and others |
Thomas Cadell (1742–1802), often referred to as Thomas Cadell the elder, was a distinguished English bookseller of the 18th century who published works by some of the most influential authors of his time.
His son, Thomas Cadell (1773–1836), known as Thomas Cadell the younger, took over the family business and formed a partnership with William Davies under the name Cadell & Davies until Davies passed away in 1819. Cadell the younger continued managing the enterprise until his death in 1836.
History
Thomas Cadell was born in Bristol and baptized on 12 November 1742. In 1758, he began an apprenticeship with London-based bookseller and publisher Andrew Millar, for which a fee of £105 was paid. Upon completing his apprenticeship, he became Millar’s partner in April 1765 and subsequently inherited the business following Millar’s death in 1768, with assistance from Millar’s aide Robert Lawless. On 1 April 1769, Cadell married the daughter of Reverend Thomas Jones.
For more than twenty-five years, Cadell operated out of 141 Strand and occasionally collaborated with publishers William Strahan and Andrew Strahan. He was known for publishing significant literary works and compensating authors generously. His notable publications included Edward Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1776–88), Henry Mackenzie’s The Man of Feeling (1771), and poetry by Robert Burns. Cadell favored publishing renowned writers such as Gibbon, Robertson, and Hume rather than numerous lesser-known works. His list of authors also comprised jurist William Blackstone, philosopher David Hume, critic Samuel Johnson, economist Adam Smith, novelists Tobias Smollett and Frances Burney, poet Helen Maria Williams, historian Catharine Macaulay, and moralist Hannah More. He published Charlotte Smith’s novels until her increasingly radical themes led him to decline Desmond in 1792.
Cadell maintained a close association with Samuel Johnson, encouraging him to compose Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets (1779–81) and publishing Johnson’s political essays along with A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland (1775). Following Johnson’s death, Cadell issued collections of letters and reminiscences about him by Hester Thrale Piozzi.
Highly respected among his peers in bookselling, Cadell played a key role in founding a booksellers’ dining club at the Shakespeare tavern on Wych Street, working collectively to safeguard copyright protections against infringements from Scotland and Ireland.
After the passing of his wife in January 1786—they had two children—his daughter married Dr. Charles Lucas Eldridge, chaplain to George III, while his son assumed control of the family firm when Cadell retired in 1793.
Following retirement, Cadell engaged with various charitable organizations such as the Foundling Hospital, was elected alderman of Walbrook in 1798, served as sheriff from 1800 to 1801, held the position of master of the Stationers’ Company between 1798 and 1799, and acted as stock-keeper in 1800.
Cadell died at his residence on 27 December 1802 due to an asthma attack.
Bibliography
Dille, Catherine. “Thomas Cadell, the elder (1742-1802)”. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. January 2008.
External links
- "www.millar-project.ed.ac.uk." University of Edinburgh.[1]