Adam Black (20 February 178424 January 1874) was a Scottish publisher and politician. He founded the

A & C Black A & C Black is a British book publishing company, owned since 2002 by Bloomsbury Publishing. The company is noted for publishing '' Who's Who'' since 1849. It also published popular travel guides and novels. History The firm was founded in 18 ...

publishing company, and published the 7th, 8th and 9th editions of the ''

Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various time ...

''.

Life

Black was born in Charles Street,

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, the son of Isabella Nicol and Charles Black, a

master builder A master builder or master mason is a central figure leading construction projects in pre-modern times (a precursor to the modern architect and engineer). Historically, the term has generally referred to "the head of a construction project in the ...

. He was educated at the Royal High School and the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

. After serving as an apprentice to Mr Fairbairn, an Edinburgh bookseller, he began business for himself in Edinburgh in 1808. By 1826 he was recognised as one of the principal booksellers in the city; and a few years later he was joined in business by his nephew Charles. In 1827 he purchased the copyright of the ''

'', along with co-investors

Macvey Napier Macvey Napier (born Napier Macvey) (11 April 1776 – 11 February 1847) was a Scottish solicitor, legal scholar, and an editor of the ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. He was Professor of Conveyancing at the University of Edinburgh. Life Macv ...

and James Browne LLD. In this capacity he became publisher of the esteemed volume and produced the 7th, 8th and 9th editions of the ''

''. He also negotiated the purchase of the stock and copyright of the

Waverley Novels The Waverley Novels are a long series of novels by Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832). For nearly a century, they were among the most popular and widely read novels in Europe. Because Scott did not publicly acknowledge authorship until 1827, the se ...

. . In 1817 he relocated his bookshop to 27 North Bridge in the

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...

and in 1832 his home is given as 30 Broughton Place in the eastern

New Town New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

. In 1851 the firm bought the copyright of the Waverley Novels for £27,000, and in 1861 they became the proprietors of

De Quincey Thomas Penson De Quincey (; 15 August 17858 December 1859) was an English writer, essayist, and literary critic, best known for his ''Confessions of an English Opium-Eater'' (1821). Many scholars suggest that in publishing this work De Quince ...

's works. Adam Black was twice

Lord Provost of Edinburgh The Right Honourable Lord Provost of Edinburgh is the convener of the City of Edinburgh local authority, who is elected by City_of_Edinburgh_Council, the city council and serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the e ...

, and represented the city in parliament from 1856 to 1865. He retired from business in 1865, and lived his final years at 38 Drummond Place in the New Town.Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1873 He died on 24 January 1874. He was succeeded by his sons, who removed their business in 1895 to London. In 1877 a bronze statue by John Hutchison of Adam Black was erected in East Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh. He is buried in

Warriston Cemetery Warriston Cemetery is a cemetery in Edinburgh. It lies in Warriston, one of the northern suburbs of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was built by the then newly-formed Edinburgh Cemetery Company, and occupies around of land on a slightly sloping si ...

on the outer face of the catacombs close to

James Young Simpson Sir James Young Simpson, 1st Baronet, (7 June 1811 – 6 May 1870) was a Scottish obstetrician and a significant figure in the history of medicine. He was the first physician to demonstrate the anesthetic, anaesthetic properties of chloroform ...

Family

Black was married to Isabella Tait (1796–1877). Their children included Charles Bertram Black (1821–1906), Francis Black (1830–1892) and Adam William Black (1836–1898). His granddaughter, Eda Lawrie married the botanist

Robert John Harvey Gibson Robert John Harvey Gibson CBE FRSE FLS DL JP (1860–1929) was a Scottish botanist and academic author. In literature his name often appears as R. J. Harvey-Gibson. Life He was born on 2 November 1860, the son of Rev Robert Gibson of the Scotti ...

Trained under Black

William Durham

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

(18341893) was apprenticed under Black.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Black, Adam 1784 births 1874 deaths Politicians from Edinburgh People educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Burials at Warriston Cemetery Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Lord Provosts of Edinburgh Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Edinburgh constituencies Publishers (people) from Edinburgh Scottish tax resisters Scottish encyclopedists UK MPs 1852–1857 UK MPs 1857–1859 UK MPs 1859–1865 Scottish booksellers Scottish Liberal Party MPs 19th-century British businesspeople

Life

Family

Trained under Black

References

Further reading

External links