Thomas Osborne (publisher)
Thomas Osborne | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. April 1704 |
| Died | 21 August 1767 |
| Occupation(s) | Publisher, bookseller |
| Known for | Connection with Samuel Johnson; acquiring the library of Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford |
Thomas Osborne (baptized circa April 1704 – 21 August 1767) was a prominent English publisher and bookseller, notable for his connection with writer Samuel Johnson and for acquiring the library of Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford.
Early life
Thomas Osborne’s father, also named Thomas Osborne, worked as a bookseller and stationer located in Gray's Inn, London. It is probable that Osborne took on significant responsibilities within the family enterprise prior to 1728, ultimately becoming a liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers. The company released its inaugural catalogue in 1729, a marketing approach that Osborne helped to popularize. Following his father’s passing in 1744, he inherited both the business and multiple properties.
Career
Osborne’s expertise lay in acquiring substantial private libraries and retailing books at fixed prices detailed in catalogues. After Edward Harley passed away in 1741, Osborne purchased the extensive Harley collection for £13,000. He employed Harley’s literary secretary William Oldys along with Samuel Johnson to compile a five-volume catalogue titled Catalogus Bibliothecae Harleianae (1742–1745). The initial catalogue volumes were sold for ten shillings each, with Osborne offering price modifications to satisfy buyers. In addition, Oldys and Johnson produced The Harleian Miscellany, an eight-volume anthology of political and religious pamphlets issued between 1744 and 1746.
Among the Harley collection was a rare 1526 English New Testament by William Tyndale, which Osborne sold for 15 shillings; this volume was subsequently acquired by the British Museum for more than £1 million.
Beginning in 1748, Osborne expanded his operations by exporting books to British America, focusing on markets such as Williamsburg, Virginia, often supplying titles unlikely to find demand in London. He served as an important publisher for botanist John Hill, offering contracts that included periodic payments based on book sales—an early example of author royalties.
Osborne played an active role in the Battle of the Booksellers, advocating for perpetual copyright protections. In 1765, he joined Andrew Millar in suing Alexander Donaldson over unauthorized reprints of works whose statutory copyrights had expired, asserting common law copyright claims. The courts ultimately ruled against them, rejecting the notion of perpetual rights.
In 1754, Osborne acquired a country residence in Hampstead, commemorated by a Chinese-style hand fan from a celebratory event now preserved by the British Museum.
His influence extended internationally; Osborne became a primary supplier of English-language books to the University of Göttingen during its significant acquisition period after 1734. His extensive catalogues circulated widely across European literary hubs and were consulted by scholars such as Christian August Wichmann during his translation efforts in 1788.
Reputation and legacy
Osborne was occasionally ridiculed for supposed short stature, lack of knowledge, and a brusque demeanor. A well-known anecdote recounts Osborne confronting Samuel Johnson over his slow progress on the Harleian catalogue or The Harleian Miscellany, resulting in Johnson knocking Osborne to the ground. This episode likely took place around 1742 but was first reported in a 1773 The London Packet article, which contrasted Johnson’s alleged triumph with writer Oliver Goldsmith’s victory over bookseller Thomas Evans. Around 1777, Hester Lynch Thrale recorded in her diary that Johnson admitted to striking Osborne but suggested public opinion exaggerated the incident.
Several versions mention Johnson wielding a heavy folio during the altercation; however, this detail is missing from earliest accounts including Thrale’s diary and James Boswell’s 1791 Life of Samuel Johnson, which was based on direct conversations with Johnson.
Alexander Pope satirized Osborne in the 1743 edition of The Dunciad, substituting him for an earlier character who lost a urination contest over novelist Eliza Haywood’s favor. Pope’s hostility stemmed from Osborne’s deceptive sale of remaindered copies of his Iliad translation. Despite such criticism, Osborne received commendation; decades posthumously, Thomas Dibdin referred to him as "the most celebrated bookseller of his day" in Bibliomania (1809).
Some unfavorable assessments remain: Robert DeMaria Jr. described him as "relatively crude and rapacious" in 1997, while Peter Martin characterized him as "tasteless and ill-mannered" in a 2008 biography of Johnson. Nevertheless, O. M. Brack’s 2004 evaluation in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography argues these criticisms largely reflect trade rivalries and personal biases from Pope and Johnson:
Evaluating Osborne's character accurately is challenging. His undeniable success as a bookseller prompted negative responses from competitors seeking to diminish his standing. Most disparaging remarks originate from Pope and Johnson. Being targeted by Pope is not unusual given his many satirical victims; meanwhile, Johnson's social limitations render him an unreliable judge of Osborne's shortcomings.
Osborne passed away on 21 August 1767 and was interred at St Mary's Church, Islington. His will apportioned his estate among his wife Anne, brother-in-law William Smith, and nephew William Toll.
Additional resources
- Stephen Botein, "The Anglo-American Book Trade before 1776: Personnel and Strategies," in William L. Joyce and colleagues, editors, Printing and Society in Early America (American Antiquarian Society, 1983), pages 74–79.