Thomas Bonar on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Thomson Bonar (* 1738 or 1739, † 25 July 1814) was a wine-merchant who married Elizabeth, the daughter of the engraver Andrew Bell, who co-founded the ''
Thomson Bonar (* 1738 or 1739, † 25 July 1814) was a wine-merchant who married Elizabeth, the daughter of the engraver Andrew Bell, who co-founded 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 t ...
'' with Colin Macfarquhar
Colin Macfarquhar (1744 or 1745? – 2 April 1793 or May 1793, Edinburgh?, Scotland) was a Scottish bookseller and printer who is most known for co-founding ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' with Andrew Bell, first published in December 1768. The da ...
.
Bonar sold the 3rd through 5th editions of the ''Britannica'', and produced the supplement to the 3rd editionHis name is clearly spelled Thomson Bonar, not Thomas, in the frontispage of the supplements to the 3rd edition of Britannica, 1803, Encyclopædia Britannica. Bonar held the copyright for that supplement, for whose material he asked great sums (20,000 pounds sterling) in subsequent editions, although he was granted but little (100–200 pounds). Bonar was friendly to the article authors, and introduced the policy of paying them as well as the article reviewers, and of allowing them to retain copyright for separate publication of their work.
Bonar quarreled with his father-in-law, Andrew Bell, and the two men did not speak from 1799 to 1809, when Bell died. Bell's successor, Archibald Constable
Archibald David Constable (24 February 1774 – 21 July 1827) was a Scottish publisher, bookseller and stationer.
Life
Constable was born at Carnbee, Fife, son of the land steward to the Earl of Kellie.
In 1788 Archibald was apprenticed to P ...
, wisely bought out Bonar's copyright for the 5th edition and kept him as an ally of the ''Britannica''.
Thomson died on 25 July 1814, aged 75. He is buried in the northern section of St Cuthberts Churchyard in Edinburgh. The stone backs onto the access path from Princes Street. His grandson of the same name (1799–1861) is buried with him.
References
Encyclopædia Britannica Scottish businesspeople Year of birth missing Place of birth missing 18th-century Scottish people 19th-century Scottish people 1814 deaths {{Scotland-business-bio-stub