» 18th Century book trade

When Bookselling was a Dangerous Business

Illustration de Edward Baines - History of the Wars of the French Revolution, 1817.jpg via Wikimedia Commons

In 1789, George III’s recovery from the illness which precipitated the Regency Crisis triggered nationwide rejoicing that “exceeded every thing before known.” But were they really “grateful testimonies of a nation’s love”? On 3rd April, the King issued a Royal Proclamation ordering that a day of thanksgiving be observed throughout the Kingdom to mark his…
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Written on April 24, 2026 at 11:56 am, by Jane Davis

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Categories: Blog, Homepage, In-depth
Tags: 18th Century book trade, 18th Century booksellers, 18th Century London, 18th Century print trade, Company of Stationers, Daniel Holt, Enlightenment ideas, Henry Delahay Symonds, James Lackington, Jeremiah Samuel Jordan, John Aitkin, John Jebb, John Reeves, Joseph Johnson, King George III's return to health., London Corresponding Society, Louis XVI, Richard Phillips, Rights of Man, Royal Proclamation Against Seditious Writings and Publications., Temple of the Muses, The Association for Preserving Liberty and Property against Republicans and Levellers., The French Revolution, The Regency Crisis, The Repeal of Shop Tax, Thomas Paine, William Blake

Putting the Temple of the Muses back on the map

The Temple of the Muses was probably the largest single shop in 18th Century England. James Lackington’s trade card boasted it was “the finest shop in the world”. Arguably, Josiah Wedgwood’s intimate London showroom was more luxurious, showcasing his ceramics as if they were works of art, and admired by his elite clientele, including royalty….
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Written on April 1, 2026 at 6:21 pm, by Jane Davis

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Categories: Blog, Homepage, In-depth
Tags: 18th Century book trade, 18th Century London, 46 Chiswell Street, Allen & Co, Artillery Ground, Blue Plaque, E Beresford Chancellor, Elizabeth Caslon, English Heritage, Finsbury Pavement, Finsbury Place South, Finsbury Square, George Dance, Georgian London, Horwood's folding map, James Lackington, James Lackington's Memoirs, John Tallis, Joseph Jackson, Josiah Wedgwood, Lackington, Lackington Street, Listed buildings, London Squares, Merton, Moorfields, Mrs Burney, Richard Horwood, Samuel Johnson, Sir John Soames, Spring House, Tallis's London Street Views, The Bookseller's Wife, The Chiswell Street Chronicles, The Finsbury Estate, The HIstory of the Squares of London, The Northern Starr, The Temple of the Muses, Whitbread & Company, William Caslon

The Four 18th-Century Publishers and Booksellers Who Made Reading Affordable

Today it is easy to forget that books were once luxury goods. A modern reader can buy a novel for a few pounds, download thousands of classics completely free, or borrow almost anything from a library. But in the early eighteenth century, owning a finely bound volume was a privilege reserved largely for the wealthy….
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Written on March 8, 2026 at 10:15 am, by Jane Davis

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Tags: 18th Century book trade, Alexander Donaldson, British book trade, Cook and Harrison, copyright, Eighteen Century chapbooks, Eighteenth Century Chapbooks, Georgian London, James Lackington, John Ashton, John Bell, Numbers trade, The Temple of the Muses, William and Cluer Dicey

The Elephant in the Bookshop: The Paradox of an “Invisible” Workforce in London’s 18th Century Book Trade

Imagine stepping inside The Temple of the Muses in Finsbury Square — the bookshop famed in Georgian London as the largest in Europe. Shelves teem with novels, histories, pamphlets and curiosities. Priceless tomes sit side by side with cheap editions. Amid the bustle, male shop assistants in black frock-coats stand behind the circular counter underneath…
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Written on February 23, 2026 at 12:47 pm, by Jane Davis

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Categories: Blog, Homepage, In-depth, My Books
Tags: 18th Century book trade, 18th Century booksellers, 18th Century print trade, 18th century women, Doctrine of coverture, Dorcas lackington, Elizabeth Cox, Elizabeth Omer Delahoy, Georgian London, James Lackington, Longhollow: a Country Tale, Lucy Peacock, Martha Gurney, Mary Bryan, Mary Cooper, Mary Lewis, Mrs James Lackington, Rebecca Edwards, Sonnets and Metrical Tales, The Temple of the Muses