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John Macrone: Victorian publisher
I do not delude myself that even colleagues in English literature will be excited by the detailed chronicle of the fall of a minor Victorian publisher. But I shall be grateful for any general reaction to the larger project of which the following essay is part.
It is widely agreed that we know too little about the
publishers who were partners (if sometimes sleeping partners) in the
production of nineteenth century literature. He need, as one
Dickensian critic recently put it, a "magisterial" book on the subject.
There isn't any such work in prospect. Nor is there any comprehensive
history of British publishing (even more urgently needed) under way.
Either of these tasks would exceed the power of any single critic, in
my opinion. But it is possible to make some contribution -- even at
this preliminary stage -- to what will eventually be (as I expect) a
collaborative venture. What I intend is to publish a series of
articles which will profile the fiction-publishing activities of
leading Victorian houses. What follows, on John Macrone, is the first
in the series. I am writing another at the moment on Henry Colburn
(the principal purveyor of "silver fork" romance to early and mid-
Victorian circulating libraries). After that, have sketched out a
study of Chapman and Hall's fiction-publishing policy 1836-64 (when the
feeble Fred Chapman took over); a piece on Bradbury and Evans and the
production of serialized fiction; a short house history of Tinsley
Eros. {who largely succeeded Colburn as suppliers of three deckers to
the libraries in the 1860. and 70s), and so on.
It is fairly easy to devise and plan these essags, and to
anticipate their final connected design. There remains the immediate
problem of placing them. Editors, generally, do not like purely
expository contributions; especially if they are liberally accompanied
by lists, tables and business history. The one journal which would
suit, Publishing History, seems moribund. ~ Library and PBSA are
obvious first choice journals. Thereafter, one will have to publish
where one can, presumably. (The fincrone piece will appear in Dickens
Studies~, sometime over the next three years.
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