Dear Mr Murray: Letters to a Gentleman Publisher

I very much enjoyed this journey through the literary centuries.

I found this to be a pleasant and informative introduction to London publishing during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. The Murray firm was one of the most prestigious publishers in London for 234 years, until sold in 2002. I first got interested in the firm when I discovered that it had been the publisher of Darwin's "Origin." I then found that many of the most important scientific and intellectual books published during the 19th century had been produced by Murray. All told, there have been seven successive John Murrays who guided the firm during its long history.What makes this book so interesting is that the author discusses over 30 of the leading Murray authors and demonstrates how they interacted with whichever John Murray by quoting their correspondence back and forth. In some cases, the letters appear in facsimile form which makes them even more interesting. To take Darwin, for example, the chapter begins with several Darwin letters to Murray where he tries to convince him that his book is not too unorthodox. Next, there is correspondence between John Murray and the editor of Murray's outstanding periodical, the Quarterly Review, who on occasion would serve as a reader. He is thumbs down (perhaps being a reverend had something to do with his sour views) on publishing, and argues that Murray should suggest Darwin publish instead a book on pigeons. Fortunately, John Murray rejects this advice and the rest is history--94,000 copies sold and a scientific revolution launched.This use of the actual letters is followed in most of the chapters, including those on Lord Byron, Thomas Carlyle, Sir Walter Scott, Jane Austin, George Bernard Shaw, Herman Melville, Mary Somerville, and John Betjeman to name a few. Other chapters deal with various topics: how illustrations were created, travellers' books which were wildly popular during the 19th century, the role of literary advisers in selecting which books to publish, and negotiating film rights in the late 1920's and early 1930's.This was publishing in the grand manor, in a large building at 50 Albermarle Street in London. The spacious parlor hosted so many meetings of Murrays' authors and other luminaries that it became one of the main 19th century intellectual centers of London. Hence the designation of "Gentleman Publisher." It is simply amazing what requests Murray authors would direct to their publisher, even including help in blocking a duel. The editor's helpful introduction puts all this activity into context. This is the perfect book for a rainy/snowy day--just settle in by the fire in a comfortable wing chair and enjoy!

This was a surprise and delight. An engrossing read.

This selection of letters from the John Murray archive has been selected to celebrate their 250th anniversary! I never realised they had been going for so long. You get glimpses of behind the scenes and some unusual stories, some of which are quite surprising. A great book for book lovers and loves of classical books.

I had no idea that the publisher John Murray had been established for so long! This selection of letters from the JM archive has been selected to celebrate their 250th anniversary! Given that the company has been in existence so long, the letters included have authors from the world of classics from Thackeray to Austen, many great poets including Betjeman and Wordsworth. Patrick Leigh Fermor is one of the newer authors included and JM have pulibhsed many travel writers over the years. Particularly fun was the story of Lady Caroline Lamb's forged letter in which she pretended to be Byron! The behind the scenes glimpses into the art of publishing were also fascinating as to how the business has and hasn't changed over the years. There has always had to be massaging of a difficult author's ego. I did feel that this collection is more suited to those more familiar with the classics, my own reading of the canon is a bit patchy. However, this was a fun book to dip into, and I was tickled that John Murray has been run by so many John Murrays!Publishing