Minerva Press was a

publishing house Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

, notable for creating a lucrative market in sentimental and

Gothic fiction Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror in the 20th century, is a loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name is a reference to Gothic architecture of the European Middle Ages, which was characteristic of the settings of e ...

, active in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It was established by

William Lane William Lane (6 September 1861 – 26 August 1917) was an English-born journalist, author, advocate of Australian labour politics and a utopian socialist ideologue. Lane was born in Bristol, England into an impoverished family. After showin ...

(c. 1745–1814) at No 33 Leadenhall Street,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, when he moved his circulating library there in about 1790.

Publications

The Minerva Press was hugely successful in its heyday, though it had a reputation for sensationalism among readers and critics, and for sharp business practices among some of its competitors. Many of Lane's regular writers were women, including

Regina Maria Roche Regina Maria Roche (1764–1845) is considered a minor Gothic novel, Gothic novelist, encouraged by the pioneering Ann Radcliffe. However, she was a bestselling author in her own time. The popularity of her third novel, ''The Children of the Abbe ...

(''The Maid of Hamlet'', 1793; '' Clermont'', 1798);

Eliza Parsons Eliza Parsons (née Phelp) (1739 – 5 February 1811) was an English Gothic novelist, best known for ''The Castle of Wolfenbach'' (1793) and '' The Mysterious Warning'' (1796). These are two of the seven Gothic titles recommended as reading by a ...

(''

The Castle of Wolfenbach ''The Castle of Wolfenbach'' (1793) is the most famous novel written by the English Gothic novelist Eliza Parsons. First published in two volumes in 1793, it is among the seven "horrid novels" recommended by the character Isabella Thorpe in Ja ...

'', 1793; '' The Mysterious Warning'', 1796); E. M. Foster; and Eleanor Sleath (''

The Orphan of the Rhine ''The Orphan of the Rhine'' is a gothic novel by Eleanor Sleath, listed as one of the seven "horrid novels" by Jane Austen in her novel ''Northanger Abbey''. Subtitled "A Romance" it was published in four volumes by the sensationalist Minerva ...

'', 1798) whose Gothic fiction is included in the list of seven " horrid novels" recommended by the character Isabella Thorpe in Jane Austen's ''

Northanger Abbey ''Northanger Abbey'' () is a coming-of-age novel and a satire of Gothic novels written by Jane Austen. Austen was also influenced by Charlotte Lennox's '' The Female Quixote'' (1752). ''Northanger Abbey'' was completed in 1803, the first of ...

''. In fact, six of the ''Northanger'' Seven were published by Minerva. During this period women authors in general struggled to balance their profession with social pressures to be modest, and authors of sensation fiction were particularly vulnerable to such criticisms. Many Minerva titles were published anonymously, including such novels as ''Count Roderic's Castle'' (1794), ''The Haunted Castle'' (1794), ''The Animated Skeleton'' (1798), the five novels of

Helen Craik Helen Craik (c. 1751 – 11 June 1825) was a Scottish poet and novelist, and a correspondent of Robert Burns. She praised him for being a "native genius, gay, unique and strong" in an introductory poem to his Glenriddell Manuscripts. Early life ...

, and ''The New Monk'' (1798), After his retirement in 1804, Lane was succeeded as proprietor of the Minerva Press by his partner, Anthony King (A. K.) Newman, who gradually dropped the Minerva name from his title pages during the 1820s. Later books published by the press bear the imprint "A. K. Newman & Co." Authors such as Emma Parker ("Emma de Lisle") and

Amelia Beauclerc Amelia Beauclerc (1 January 1790 – 1 March 1820) was a British Gothic novelist. Life Beauclerc's life has been described as "invisible." Writing It has taken time to establish a complete bibliography for Beauclerk. Her first two novels, ''E ...

, who wrote for Minerva Press in the 1800s, are obscure today, and the market for Minerva's books became negligible after the death of its charismatic founder. At the peak of its success, however, the press was "the most prolific fiction-producer of the age." Since the nineteenth century the name "Minerva Press" has been used by at least one other press, unconnected with the original firm (i.e. Minerva Press, Delhi.)

Valancourt Books reprints

Valancourt Books Valancourt Books is an independent American publishing house founded by James Jenkins and Ryan Cagle in 2005. The company specializes in "the rediscovery of rare, neglected, and out-of-print fiction," in particular gay titles and Gothic and ho ...

began reprinting Minerva Press titles in 2005, beginning with the anonymously published ''The Animated Skeleton'' (1798). They have gone on to reissue over twenty titles, most with scholarly introductions.

br>Minerva Press titles.
/ref>

Notes

External links

Expanded history of Minerva Press
(about halfway down the page)

collated by Rob Wassell, author of ''REM'', published by

Minerva Press Minerva Press was a publishing house, noted for creating a lucrative market in sentimental and Gothic fiction in the late 18th century and early 19th century. It was established by William Lane (c. 1745–1814) at No 33 Leadenhall Street, Lon ...

{{Authority control Book publishing companies of the United Kingdom Gothic fiction

Publications

Valancourt Books reprints

See also

Notes

External links