Call Number:

C0065

Repository:

Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division

Extent:

• 4 boxes
• 0.8 linear feet

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); William Isbister Collection, Box and Folder Number; Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Date:

circa 1860-1906 (inclusive)

Creator:

Isbister, William

Form:

Correspondence -- 19th century

Abstract:

Consists of correspondence mainly from Victorian novelists and other writers to W. Isbister & Co., publishers of Good Words and the Sunday Magazine.

William Isbister was a British publisher. In 1858, he partnered with Alexander Stuart Strahan to found the publishing firm of Strahan & Co., which moved from Edinburgh to London in 1862. In its early years the company specialized in devotional works, illustrated literature for children, and inexpensive reprints of American ns2:titles. After moving to London, the firm also published fiction, poetry, and essays by popular authors of the day. The firm also established several important periodicals, including Good Words (founded in 1859 under the editorship of Norman Macleod), the Sunday Magazine (1864), and the Argosy (1865), which were notable for the high quality of the woodcuts. Due to financial difficulties, in 1872 Strahan was forced to resign from the company. In 1874 the name of the original firm was changed to W. Isbister & Co. In 1905, Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons acquired the Isbister publishing business.

The collection consists of correspondence mainly from Victorian novelists and other writers to W. Isbister & Co., publishers of Good Words and the Sunday Magazine. Correspondence from other publishers, theological writers, printers and artists, the majority of which are British, is also included. Correspondents include Richard Doddridge Blackmore, B. L. Farjeon, Dinah Craik Muloch, Hesba Stretton, Mrs. Oliphant, Augustus J. C. Hare, E. H. Plumptre, and others.

The correspondence is arranged alphabetically by author.