George Routledge (23 September 1812 – 13 December 1888) was a British

book publisher 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 ...

and the founder of the publishing house

Routledge Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law ...

Early life

He was born in

Brampton Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a lower-tier municipality within Peel Region. The city has a population of 656,480 as of the 2021 Census, making it ...

, Cumberland on 23 September 1812.

Career

Routledge gained his early experience of business with Thurnam & Sons, booksellers, at Carlisle. Moving to London in 1833, he started in business for himself as a bookseller in 1836, and as a publisher in 1843. He made his first serious success by reprinting the Biblical commentaries of an American writer, Albert Barnes. George Routledge & Sons Limited - Logo

Routledge's fame as a publisher, however, rests mainly on popular books. A series of shilling volumes, the "Railway Library", was an immense success, including as it did Harriet Beecher Stowe's ''

Uncle Tom's Cabin ''Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly'' is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in two volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the U ...

'', and he also published in cheap form some of the writings of

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and " The Legen ...

, James Fenimore Cooper,

Bulwer-Lytton Bulwer-Lytton is a surname, and may refer to: * Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton (1803–1873), novelist and politician * Rosina Bulwer Lytton (1802–1882), feminist writer and wife of Edward Bulwer-Lytton * Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of ...

and Benjamin Disraeli. He also brought out a number of shilling books in "Routledge's Universal Library" (also known as "Morley's Universal Library", the series being edited by

Henry Morley Henry Morley (15 September 1822 – 14 May 1894) was an English academic who was one of the earliest professors of English literature in Great Britain. Morley wrote a popular book containing biographies of famous English writers. Life The son o ...

). Once styled Routledge, Warne & Routledge, his firm changed its name to that of

George Routledge & Sons Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, an ...

in 1865. A branch of the business was established in New York in 1854. An illustrated children's book, ''Wide Awake Stories'', was published by George Routledge & Sons, Ltd.

Personal life

He married Maria Elizabeth Warne, who died on 25 March 1855, aged 40. He married, secondly, on 11 May 1858, Mary Grace Bell, the eldest daughter of Alderman Bell of Newcastle upon Tyne. There were children from each marriage. His son

Robert Warne Routledge The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

became a partner on 9 November 1858, and the firm became ''Routledge, Warne, & Routledge''. His son

Edmund Routledge Edmund Routledge (30 January 1843 – 25 August 1899), was a British publisher of boys' magazines and an author of books about sports. Early life Edmund Routledge was born in London on 30 January 1843, the second son of George Routledge (1812� ...

became a partner in July 1865, and the firm became ''George Routledge & Sons''. He died on 13 December 1888, at 50

Russell Square Russell Square is a large garden square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden, built predominantly by the firm of James Burton. It is near the University of London's main buildings and the British Museum. Almost exactly square, to the ...

, London.

References

Citations

Sources

External links

* *
Works by George Routledge
at

Toronto Public Library Toronto Public Library (TPL) (french: Bibliothèque publique de Toronto) is a public library system in Toronto, Ontario. It is the largest public library system in Canada, and in 2008 had averaged a higher circulation per capita than any other pub ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Routledge, George 1812 births 1888 deaths Book publishing companies of the United Kingdom English book publishers (people) People from Brampton, Carlisle 19th-century English businesspeople