William Isbister Collection 1860-1906

Summary

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Overview

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Abstract

Consists of correspondence mainly from Victorian novelists and other writers to W. Isbister & Co., publishers of Good Words and the Sunday Magazine.

Description

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Description

The collection consists of correspondence mainly from Victorian novelists and other writers to W. Isbister & Co., publishers of Good Words and the Sunday Magazine. Correspondence from other publishers, theological writers, printers and artists, the majority of which are British, is also included. Correspondents include Richard Doddridge Blackmore, B. L. Farjeon, Dinah Craik Muloch, Hesba Stretton, Mrs. Oliphant, Augustus J. C. Hare, E. H. Plumptre, and others.

Collection Creator Biography

William Isbister was a British publisher. In 1858, he partnered with Alexander Stuart Strahan to found the publishing firm of Strahan & Co., which moved from Edinburgh to London in 1862. In its early years the company specialized in devotional works, illustrated literature for children, and inexpensive reprints of American ns2:titles. After moving to London, the firm also published fiction, poetry, and essays by popular authors of the day. The firm also established several important periodicals, including Good Words (founded in 1859 under the editorship of Norman Macleod), the Sunday Magazine (1864), and the Argosy (1865), which were notable for the high quality of the woodcuts. Due to financial difficulties, in 1872 Strahan was forced to resign from the company. In 1874 the name of the original firm was changed to W. Isbister & Co. In 1905, Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons acquired the Isbister publishing business.

Collection History

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Processing Information

Folder inventory added by Alicia Corona '2013 in 2011.

Access and Use

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Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish material from the collection must be requested from the Associate University Librarian for Rare Books and Special Collections.

Preferred Citation

William Isbister Collection; circa 1860-1906, Manuscripts Division, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Find More

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Topics

• British literature
• Publishing history

Subject Terms

• Authors and publishers
• England
• Novelists, English
• Publishers and publishing
• W. Isbister & Co

Genre Terms

• Correspondence

Contents and Arrangement

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Arrangement

The correspondence is arranged alphabetically by author.

Request Checked Items

	Title	Date	Container
	"Good Words" Magazine - Advertisement	undated	Box 1, Folder 1
	Abbott - Aydt	1880-1884	Box 1, Folder 2
	Bagster - Blind	1878-1893	Box 1, Folder 3
	Bonker - Bufles	1880-1893	Box 1, Folder 4
	Campbell - Currie	1872-1897	Box 1, Folder 5
	Daldy - Dutton	1877-1893	Box 1, Folder 6
	Edwards - Exon	1878-1893	Box 1, Folder 7
	Fagan - Farrar	1887-1893	Box 1, Folder 8
	Fenn - Furris	1880-1906	Box 1, Folder 9
	Garrett - Grier	1877-1907	Box 2, Folder 1
	Haes - Haweis	1876-1893	Box 2, Folder 2
	Helfs - Hughes	1876-1893	Box 2, Folder 3
	Iupelow	undated	Box 2, Folder 4
	James - Japh	1887-1891	Box 2, Folder 5
	Kitton - Knuston	1890-1893	Box 2, Folder 6
	Lang - Lyttelton	1886-1892	Box 2, Folder 7
	Macbeth - Millan	1878-1893	Box 2, Folder 8
	Mitchell - Myers	1878-1893	Box 2, Folder 9
	Nishez - Norris	1887-1894	Box 2, Folder 10
	Oliphant - Oxford	1879	Box 3, Folder 1
	Parker - Prothero	1876-1895	Box 3, Folder 2
	Pater, Walter	undated	Box 3, Folder 3
	Plumptre, Edward Hayes	1873-1888	Box 3, Folder 4
	Quiller	1896	Box 3, Folder 5
	Ripon - Roffen	1876-1895	Box 3, Folder 6
	Sampson - Stubbs	1876-1903	Box 3, Folder 7
	Thomson - Tyman	1876-1892	Box 4, Folder 1
	Thorold, A.W.	1876-1892	Box 4, Folder 2
	Unwin - Visthe	1876-1884	Box 4, Folder 3
	Walford - Wright	1873-1893	Box 4, Folder 4
	Wood, John George	1879-1884	Box 4, Folder 5
	Unidentified	1877-1892	Box 4, Folder 6