George Robertson (14 April 186027 August 1933) was an English-born

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n bookseller and publisher, who alongside partner and Scotsman David Angus co-founded the publishing division of

Angus & Robertson Angus & Robertson (A&R) is a major Australian bookseller, publisher and printer. As book publishers, A&R has contributed substantially to the promotion and development of Australian literature.Alison, Jennifer (2001). "Publishers and editors: A ...

Biography

Robertson, the son of the Rev. John Robertson, was born at

Halstead Halstead is a town and civil parish in the Braintree District of Essex, England. Its population of 11,906 in 2011 Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. He was educated at the Southwestern Academy,

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

and trained as a bookseller with James Maclehose, bookseller to the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

. He emigrated to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

as a young man, and, two years later (in 1882), he relocated to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, where he found employment at the local branch of George Robertson and Company, booksellers of Melbourne. He was not related to the founder of that firm. In January 1886 he joined David MacKenzie Angus in partnership, at first in

Market Street, Sydney Market Street is a street in the city centre of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. It runs from Sussex Street near Darling Harbour in the west, to Elizabeth Street at St. James railway station in the east. Market Street is located in t ...

and later, in

Castlereagh Street, Sydney Castlereagh Street is a major street located in the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. The street runs in a north-to-south, in a one way direction only. Description Castlereagh Street's northern terminus is at the ...

. After Angus' death in 1900 Robertson continued in partnership with Frederick Wymark and Richard Thomson who had acquired Angus' share of the business, until in 1907 the partnership was converted into a public company and continues under the name of Angus & Robertson Ltd. As a bookseller Robertson was always interested in buying "books and other rare items relating to Australia and adjacent regions". He encouraged the wealthy Sydney book collector

David Scott Mitchell David Scott Mitchell (19 March 1836 – 24 July 1907) was a collector of Australian books, founder and benefactor of the Mitchell Library, at the State Library of New South Wales, Sydney.G. D. Richardson,Mitchell, David Scott (1836–1907), ''A ...

to collect early Australian books and manuscripts. Mitchell's formation of his unmatched collection, which he later bequeathed to the state of New South Wales, was "largely indebted to the efforts of booksellers who knew Australiana, including George Robertson, Fred W. Wymark,

William Dymock William Dymock (1861–1900) was an Australian bookseller and publisher. He was the "first native-born Australian to launch and maintain a successful bookselling venture".''The Australian Companion to Australian Literature'', 2nd ed."Dymock, Will ...

and James R. Tyrrell". Around 1895 the publishing side of the business began to be developed and many successful volumes were launched. Among the earlier authors were

Henry Lawson Henry Archibald Hertzberg Lawson (17 June 1867 – 2 September 1922) was an Australian writer and bush poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial perio ...

Banjo Paterson Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson, (17 February 18645 February 1941) was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author. He wrote many ballads and poems about Australian life, focusing particularly on the rural and outback areas, including the ...

and

Victor Daley Victor James William Patrick Daley (5 September 1858 – 29 December 1905) was an Australian poet. Daley serves chiefly as an example of the Celtic Twilight in Australian verse. He also serves as a lyrical alternative to his contempora ...

. Robertson could recognize quickly a promising author and was willing to take considerable risks in backing his judgment. During the last 30 years of his life the number of volumes he published exceeded the total number brought out in the same period by all the other publishers in Australia. ''

The Australian Encyclopaedia The ''Australian Encyclopaedia'' is an encyclopedia focused on Australia. In addition to biographies of notable Australians the coverage includes the geology, flora, fauna as well as the history of the continent. It was first published by Angus ...

'', published in two volumes in 1926, is one of the most important books published in Australia. In 1929 he founded the Halstead Press, which for 40 years would be "Australia's leading book printer". In recognition to Robertson's contribution to publishing, the Australian Publishers Association has established the George Robertson Award, for individuals who have 30+ years' service to publishing and its success.Nomination criteria for the George Robertson Award widened
publishers.asn.au. Retrieved 9 April 2021. He was married twice, first to Elizabeth Stewart Bruce in 1881, and, in 1910, to Eva Adeline Ducat. He died at the age of 73 and was survived by his second wife and his children (three daughters and a son) from his first marriage.

Biography

See also

References

Further reading