George Byrom Whittaker (1793–1847) was an English bookseller and publisher.

Life

Born at

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

in March 1793, he was the son of the Rev. George Whittaker, master of the grammar school. About 1814 he became a partner of Charles Law, wholesale bookseller,

Ave Maria Lane Ave Maria Lane is a street in the City of London, to the west of St. Paul's Cathedral. It is the southern extension of Warwick Lane, between Amen Corner and Ludgate Hill. On the feastday of Corpus Christi, monks would say prayers in a proces ...

, London, a house established by W. Bidwell Law (d. 1798). Whittaker brought capital and dynamism into the business. One enterprise was the publication of a translation of

Georges Cuvier Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, Baron Cuvier (; 23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier, was a French natural history, naturalist and zoology, zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuvier ...

's ‘Animal Kingdom,’ in sixteen volumes, with many coloured plates. In 1824 he served as

sheriff of London Two sheriffs are elected annually for the City of London by the Liverymen of the City livery company, livery companies. Today's sheriffs have only nominal duties, but the historical officeholders had important judicial responsibilities. They have ...

and Middlesex. He published for

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, Colley Grattan,

George Croly George Croly (17 August 1780 – 24 November 1860) was an Irish poet, novelist, historian, and Anglican priest. He was rector of St Stephen Walbrook in the City of London from 1835 until his death. Early life Croly was born in Dublin. His father ...

, and

Mary Russell Mitford Mary Russell Mitford (16 December 1787 – 10 January 1855) was an English author and dramatist. She was born at New Alresford, Alresford in Hampshire. She is best known for ''Our Village'', a series of sketches of village scenes and vividly dr ...

. The last novel of

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...

came out with his imprint and his firm published in London all Scott's early collected editions. In conjunction with the Oxford and Cambridge booksellers he produced a series of Greek and Latin classics.

John Payne Collier John Payne Collier (11 January 1789, London – 17 September 1883, Maidenhead) was an English Shakespearean critic and forger. Reporter and solicitor His father, John Dyer Collier (1762–1825), was a successful journalist, and his connection wi ...

's edition of Shakespeare (1841) was issued by him. He published the

Pinnock Pinnock is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Andrew Pinnock (born 1980), American football player * Anna Pinnock, set decorator *Arnold Pinnock, Canadian actor * Chris Pinnock (born 1979), Jamaican hurdler *Clark Pinnock (born 1 ...

educational primers and many other children's books, and he was a promoter of literacy with his ‘Popular Library.’ He died at

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

on 13 December 1847. Richard Gilbert, founder of the printing firm of Gilbert & Rivington, married Whittaker's only sister; their son Robert succeeded to his uncle's property and business.

References

* ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Whittaker, George Byrom 1793 births 1847 deaths Publishers (people) from London Sheriffs of the City of London Businesspeople from Southampton 19th-century English businesspeople