Sampson Low (18 November 1797 – 16 April 1886) was a bookseller and publisher in London in the 19th century.

Early years

Born in London in 1797, he was the son of Sampson Low, printer and publisher, of Berwick Street,

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develop ...

. He served a short apprenticeship with Lionel Booth, the proprietor of a circulating library, and spent a few years in the house of Longman & Co. Low began his own business in 1819 at 42

Lamb's Conduit Street Lamb's Conduit Street is a street in Holborn in the West End of London. The street takes its name from ''Lambs Conduit'', originally known as the ''Holborn Conduit'', a dam across a tributary of the River Fleet. Lamb's Conduit Lamb's Conduit w ...

, as a bookseller and stationer, with a circulating library attached. His reading-room was the resort of many literary men, lawyers, and politicians.

Sampson Low, Son and Company

In 1848, Low and his eldest son Sampson Jr. opened a publishing office at the corner of Red Lion Court,

Fleet Street Fleet Street is a major street mostly in the City of London. It runs west to east from Temple Bar at the boundary with the City of Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the London Wall and the River Fleet from which the street was na ...

. In 1852 they moved to 47 (and later to 14) Ludgate Hill, where, with the aid of

David Bogue David Bogue (18 February 175025 October 1825) was a British nonconformist religious leader. Life He was born at Hallydown Farm, in the parish of Coldingham, Berwickshire, Scotland, the son of John Bogue, farmer, and his wife, Margaret Swanston. ...

, an American department was opened. In 1856 Edward Marston became a partner, and Bogue retired. The firm removed in 1867 to 188 Fleet Street, in 1887 to St. Dunstan's House,

Fetter Lane Fetter Lane is a street in the ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London. It forms part of the A4 road and runs between Fleet Street at its southern end and Holborn. History The street was originally called Faytor or Faiter Lane, then Fe ...

, and subsequently to

Paternoster Row Paternoster Row was a street in the City of London that was a centre of the London publishing trade, with booksellers operating from the street. Paternoster Row was described as "almost synonymous" with the book trade. It was part of an area cal ...

. The firm issued works by authors such as William Black,

William Henry Boulton William Henry Boulton (April 19, 1812 – February 15, 1874) was a lawyer and political figure in Canada West. He served as Mayor of Toronto from 1845 to 1847, and in 1858. He was also a member of the Orange Order in Canada. Boulton died in ...

ECR Lorac Edith Caroline Rivett (6 May 1894 – 2 July 1958) was a British crime writer, who wrote under the pseudonyms E. C. R. Lorac, Carol Carnac and Mary Le Bourne during the golden age of detective fiction. Life and career Childhood The youngest d ...

, Julius Mendes Price,

Nikolay Przhevalsky Nikolay Mikhaylovich Przhevalsky (or Prjevalsky;; pl, Nikołaj Przewalski, . – ) was a Russian geographer of Polish descent (he was born in a Polish noble family), and a renowned explorer of Central and East Asia. Although he never reache ...

Henry Morton Stanley Sir Henry Morton Stanley (born John Rowlands; 28 January 1841 – 10 May 1904) was a Welsh-American explorer, journalist, soldier, colonial administrator, author and politician who was famous for his exploration of Central Africa Cen ...

, and

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

. It also published the

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work of Polish Count

Stanisław Julian Ostroróg Count Stanisław Julian Ostroróg (1836– 31 May 1890) was an exiled Polish nobleman and Crimean War veteran. He later became known as an early professional portrait photographer who created photogravures, under the professional name of '' ...

, known professionally as ''Walery'' Ltd., as ''"Celebrity Portraits"'' by Sampson Low & Co. in the late 1880s. The business continued to 1964. In 1968, Macdonald & Co. (Publishers) Ltd. co-located with Sampson Low at St Giles House, 49-50 Poland Street, and took over when Sampson Low finally ceased publishing in 1969.

Names of the firm

* Sampson Low, Son & Co.: Established in 1848 by Sampson Low and Sampson Low Jr. (1822–1871). Office located in

, then in

Ludgate Hill Ludgate Hill is a street and surrounding area, on a small hill in the City of London. The street passes through the former site of Ludgate, a city gate that was demolished – along with a gaol attached to it – in 1760. The area include ...

. * Sampson Low, Son & Marston: Established in 1856 by Sampson Low, Sampson Low Jr., and Edward Marston. * Sampson Low, Marston & Company: Established 1872 by Sampson Low, William Low, Edward Marston, and Samuel Warren Searle (d.1907). * Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington: Established before 1879 by Sampson Low, Edward Marston, Samuel Warren Searle, and William John Rivington (d. 1914). Office in Fleet Street, then St. Dunstan's House in

''Publishers' Circular'' and ''English Catalogue''

Until 1837, ''Bent's Literary Advertiser'' was the only trade journal connected with book-selling; at this period the publishers became dissatisfied with the manner in which it was conducted, and established a periodical of their own called
The Publishers' Circular
', and entrusted the management to Low. The first number appeared on 2 October 1837. The manager gradually introduced many changes and improvements, and in 1867 the ''Circular'' became Low's sole property. The periodical, which was published fortnightly, supplied a list of new books, and from these lists an annual catalogue was made up, the first appearing in 1839. Upon these annual catalogues Low based his ''British Catalogue'', the first volume of which, containing titles under authors' names of all books issued between 1837 and 1852, was published in 1853. It was continued as the ''English Catalogue'', of which vol. i. (1835–63) appeared in 1864; vol. ii. (1863–72) in 1873; vol. iii. (1872–1880) in 1882. Subject indexes were issued in 1858, covering from 1837 to 1857; and in 1876 (covering from 1856 to 1876).

Other professional activities

Low was also manager of a society for the protection of retail booksellers against undersellers, until the dissolution of the society in 1852. With his son, he was instrumental in establishing in 1843 the Royal Society for the Protection of Life from Fire, and gave it careful attendance till 1867, when it was taken over by the

Metropolitan Board of Works The Metropolitan Board of Works (MBW) was the principal instrument of local government in a wide area of Middlesex, Surrey, and Kent, defined by the Metropolis Management Act 1855, from December 1855 until the establishment of the London County ...

. From its foundation in 1837 he took the deepest interest in the Booksellers' Provident Institution, serving on the committee and acting as a vice-president. About 1844 he made the acquaintance of

Fletcher Harper Fletcher Harper (January 31, 1806 – May 29, 1877) was an American publisher in the early-to-mid 19th century. Fletcher Harper was born January 31, 1806, in Newtown, New York. He was the youngest of four sons born to Joseph Henry Harper, (1750� ...

of New York, and became his literary agent and correspondent, and one of the chief American booksellers in London.

Personal life and death

Grave of Sampson Low in Highgate Cemetery

He retired from business in 1875, and died at 41 Mecklenburgh Square on 16 April 1886. He was buried on the west side of

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...

on 22 April. His wife, Mary, died 26 May 1881, in her eighty-fourth year. Of his sons, Sampson Low, jun., born in London on 6 July 1822, although an invalid, took a considerable share in the business. He compiled a work entitled ''The Charities of London, comprehending the Benevolent, Educational, and Religious Institutions, their Origin and Design, Progress, and Present Position'', 1850, of which corrected editions appeared in 1854, 1862, 1863, and 1870. He died at 41 Mecklenburgh Square 5 March 1871. Low's second son, William Henry Low, after the death of his brother, took an active share in the publishing business; he died 25 September 1881.

Selected works

;Author, compiler, and editor * ''Low's Comparative Register of the House of Commons 1827 to 1841'', 1841. * ''Low's Comparative and Historical Register of the House of Commons 1841 to 1847'', 1847. * ''Index to Current Literature, comprising a Reference to every Book in the English Language as published, and to original Literary Articles'', 1859–60 (eight numbers only). * ''Low's Literary Almanack and Illustrated Souvenir for 1873'', 1873. ;Publisher * The Bayard Series (series editor: James Hain Friswell) * The Choice SeriesThe Choice Series
publishinghistory.com. Retrieved 21 March 2021. * The Gentle Life series (series editor: James Hain Friswell) * Standard Novels

References

Attribution

External links

in: C. Evans, ''A Strange Friendship: A Story of New Zealand'' (1874). * (under that identity, and more under neighboring personal and corporate "Low, Sampson ...") {{DEFAULTSORT:Low, Sampson 1797 births 1886 deaths Burials at Highgate Cemetery Commercial circulating libraries English booksellers Publishers (people) from London 19th-century English businesspeople