Newspaper: The Advertiser,
From: Adelaide, South Australia,
On:Wednesday 13 May 1914, Page: 5
A FAMOUS PUBLISHER.
DEATH OF EDWARD MARSTON!.
(from our Special Correspondent.)
London, April 9, 1914.
The death this week of Mr. Edward Marston at the ripe old age of 89 removes from things mundane the doyen of London publishers. Born at a time when stage coaches had not given place to the railway train, and when a large proportion of the people could not read he lived through an age which saw the coming and departure of Carlyle and Ruskin. Dickens and Thackeray Macanlay, Tennyson, Browning, and George Eliot and he was personally responsible for the publication of many notable contributions to Victorian literature.
Mr. Marston whilst still short of his majority, became assistant in 1845 to Mr. Sampson Low, the head of a firm of publisher, which had even then been in existence for over 30 years, and he became a partner therein eleven years later. From that day forward for nearly half a century Mr. Marston was actively engaged in the publishing business which brought him in contact with many famous authors. One of these was R. D. Blackmore whose famous novel, "Lorna Doone" was taken up by the firm after it had met with refusals from other hands. It was a triumph for the house; but they took the risk and were amply justified by events. The book, in three volumes, hung fire for a while and then quite suddenly begin to sell "like hot cakes" to the great pleasure and profit of both publishers and author.
Possibly the biggest undertaking with which Mr. Marston was associated was the publication of Stanley's books of travel, beginning with "How I Found Living- stone" Stanley and Mr. Marston had been friends for many years and once when the latter was on holiday he received a telegram from his partner - "Stanley been here; wants offer for England and America; MS. 800 pages, 8 vols., 60 illustrations Hatten offered one thousand pounds for England and America" Mr. Marston wired back "Secure Stanley at any price," but it cost more than a thousand pounds to do it.
With many other famous authors Mr. Marston had personal and business relations. He remembered Macaulay coming to his office in a passion over a steel engraving of himself which the firm had done for an American house. "The d----- thing," he shouted, thumping the floor with his stick, "I won't have anything to do with it." He knew Mrs. Stowe of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" fame, and Charles Read, whose "Hard Cash" he published. James Payn was another friend, and it was from the Sampson Low house that "Lost Sir Massingberd" appeared. He published Willkie Collins' "Woman in White" and gave him £3,000 for "No Name" only to find that the public was not in the Collins mood at the time.
In addition to these Dickens, Thackeray, William Black, Jules Verne, Clark Russell, Mrs. Gaskell, and Thomas Hardy were among his friends, and with many of them he had business dealings. The firm's relations with Thomas Hardy were always of the most friendly kind, and '"Far from tie Madding Crowd" and other novels were published by them, but when Hardy wrote "Tess of the D'Urbervilles'' he did not offer the book to them because he believed that this startling departure from the accepted standard of Hardy literature would be refused by his old firm of publishers. And in all probability it would, for "'Tess" was not at all the sort of work to appeal to the majority, of Hardy's usual readers.
From: Adelaide, South Australia,
On:Wednesday 13 May 1914, Page: 5
A FAMOUS PUBLISHER.
DEATH OF EDWARD MARSTON!.
(from our Special Correspondent.)
London, April 9, 1914.
The death this week of Mr. Edward Marston at the ripe old age of 89 removes from things mundane the doyen of London publishers. Born at a time when stage coaches had not given place to the railway train, and when a large proportion of the people could not read he lived through an age which saw the coming and departure of Carlyle and Ruskin. Dickens and Thackeray Macanlay, Tennyson, Browning, and George Eliot and he was personally responsible for the publication of many notable contributions to Victorian literature.
Mr. Marston whilst still short of his majority, became assistant in 1845 to Mr. Sampson Low, the head of a firm of publisher, which had even then been in existence for over 30 years, and he became a partner therein eleven years later. From that day forward for nearly half a century Mr. Marston was actively engaged in the publishing business which brought him in contact with many famous authors. One of these was R. D. Blackmore whose famous novel, "Lorna Doone" was taken up by the firm after it had met with refusals from other hands. It was a triumph for the house; but they took the risk and were amply justified by events. The book, in three volumes, hung fire for a while and then quite suddenly begin to sell "like hot cakes" to the great pleasure and profit of both publishers and author.
Possibly the biggest undertaking with which Mr. Marston was associated was the publication of Stanley's books of travel, beginning with "How I Found Living- stone" Stanley and Mr. Marston had been friends for many years and once when the latter was on holiday he received a telegram from his partner - "Stanley been here; wants offer for England and America; MS. 800 pages, 8 vols., 60 illustrations Hatten offered one thousand pounds for England and America" Mr. Marston wired back "Secure Stanley at any price," but it cost more than a thousand pounds to do it.
With many other famous authors Mr. Marston had personal and business relations. He remembered Macaulay coming to his office in a passion over a steel engraving of himself which the firm had done for an American house. "The d----- thing," he shouted, thumping the floor with his stick, "I won't have anything to do with it." He knew Mrs. Stowe of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" fame, and Charles Read, whose "Hard Cash" he published. James Payn was another friend, and it was from the Sampson Low house that "Lost Sir Massingberd" appeared. He published Willkie Collins' "Woman in White" and gave him £3,000 for "No Name" only to find that the public was not in the Collins mood at the time.
In addition to these Dickens, Thackeray, William Black, Jules Verne, Clark Russell, Mrs. Gaskell, and Thomas Hardy were among his friends, and with many of them he had business dealings. The firm's relations with Thomas Hardy were always of the most friendly kind, and '"Far from tie Madding Crowd" and other novels were published by them, but when Hardy wrote "Tess of the D'Urbervilles'' he did not offer the book to them because he believed that this startling departure from the accepted standard of Hardy literature would be refused by his old firm of publishers. And in all probability it would, for "'Tess" was not at all the sort of work to appeal to the majority, of Hardy's usual readers.
Newspaper: The Advertiser,
From: Adelaide, South Australia,
On:Wednesday 13 May 1914, Page: 5
A FAMOUS PUBLISHER.
DEATH OF EDWARD MARSTON!.
(from our Special Correspondent.)
London, April 9, 1914.
The death this week of Mr. Edward Marston at the ripe old age of 89 removes from things mundane the doyen of London publishers. Born at a time when stage coaches had not given place to the railway train, and when a large proportion of the people could not read he lived through an age which saw the coming and departure of Carlyle and Ruskin. Dickens and Thackeray Macanlay, Tennyson, Browning, and George Eliot and he was personally responsible for the publication of many notable contributions to Victorian literature.
Mr. Marston whilst still short of his majority, became assistant in 1845 to Mr. Sampson Low, the head of a firm of publisher, which had even then been in existence for over 30 years, and he became a partner therein eleven years later. From that day forward for nearly half a century Mr. Marston was actively engaged in the publishing business which brought him in contact with many famous authors. One of these was R. D. Blackmore whose famous novel, "Lorna Doone" was taken up by the firm after it had met with refusals from other hands. It was a triumph for the house; but they took the risk and were amply justified by events. The book, in three volumes, hung fire for a while and then quite suddenly begin to sell "like hot cakes" to the great pleasure and profit of both publishers and author.
Possibly the biggest undertaking with which Mr. Marston was associated was the publication of Stanley's books of travel, beginning with "How I Found Living- stone" Stanley and Mr. Marston had been friends for many years and once when the latter was on holiday he received a telegram from his partner - "Stanley been here; wants offer for England and America; MS. 800 pages, 8 vols., 60 illustrations Hatten offered one thousand pounds for England and America" Mr. Marston wired back "Secure Stanley at any price," but it cost more than a thousand pounds to do it.
With many other famous authors Mr. Marston had personal and business relations. He remembered Macaulay coming to his office in a passion over a steel engraving of himself which the firm had done for an American house. "The d----- thing," he shouted, thumping the floor with his stick, "I won't have anything to do with it." He knew Mrs. Stowe of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" fame, and Charles Read, whose "Hard Cash" he published. James Payn was another friend, and it was from the Sampson Low house that "Lost Sir Massingberd" appeared. He published Willkie Collins' "Woman in White" and gave him £3,000 for "No Name" only to find that the public was not in the Collins mood at the time.
In addition to these Dickens, Thackeray, William Black, Jules Verne, Clark Russell, Mrs. Gaskell, and Thomas Hardy were among his friends, and with many of them he had business dealings. The firm's relations with Thomas Hardy were always of the most friendly kind, and '"Far from tie Madding Crowd" and other novels were published by them, but when Hardy wrote "Tess of the D'Urbervilles'' he did not offer the book to them because he believed that this startling departure from the accepted standard of Hardy literature would be refused by his old firm of publishers. And in all probability it would, for "'Tess" was not at all the sort of work to appeal to the majority, of Hardy's usual readers.
From: Adelaide, South Australia,
On:Wednesday 13 May 1914, Page: 5
A FAMOUS PUBLISHER.
DEATH OF EDWARD MARSTON!.
(from our Special Correspondent.)
London, April 9, 1914.
The death this week of Mr. Edward Marston at the ripe old age of 89 removes from things mundane the doyen of London publishers. Born at a time when stage coaches had not given place to the railway train, and when a large proportion of the people could not read he lived through an age which saw the coming and departure of Carlyle and Ruskin. Dickens and Thackeray Macanlay, Tennyson, Browning, and George Eliot and he was personally responsible for the publication of many notable contributions to Victorian literature.
Mr. Marston whilst still short of his majority, became assistant in 1845 to Mr. Sampson Low, the head of a firm of publisher, which had even then been in existence for over 30 years, and he became a partner therein eleven years later. From that day forward for nearly half a century Mr. Marston was actively engaged in the publishing business which brought him in contact with many famous authors. One of these was R. D. Blackmore whose famous novel, "Lorna Doone" was taken up by the firm after it had met with refusals from other hands. It was a triumph for the house; but they took the risk and were amply justified by events. The book, in three volumes, hung fire for a while and then quite suddenly begin to sell "like hot cakes" to the great pleasure and profit of both publishers and author.
Possibly the biggest undertaking with which Mr. Marston was associated was the publication of Stanley's books of travel, beginning with "How I Found Living- stone" Stanley and Mr. Marston had been friends for many years and once when the latter was on holiday he received a telegram from his partner - "Stanley been here; wants offer for England and America; MS. 800 pages, 8 vols., 60 illustrations Hatten offered one thousand pounds for England and America" Mr. Marston wired back "Secure Stanley at any price," but it cost more than a thousand pounds to do it.
With many other famous authors Mr. Marston had personal and business relations. He remembered Macaulay coming to his office in a passion over a steel engraving of himself which the firm had done for an American house. "The d----- thing," he shouted, thumping the floor with his stick, "I won't have anything to do with it." He knew Mrs. Stowe of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" fame, and Charles Read, whose "Hard Cash" he published. James Payn was another friend, and it was from the Sampson Low house that "Lost Sir Massingberd" appeared. He published Willkie Collins' "Woman in White" and gave him £3,000 for "No Name" only to find that the public was not in the Collins mood at the time.
In addition to these Dickens, Thackeray, William Black, Jules Verne, Clark Russell, Mrs. Gaskell, and Thomas Hardy were among his friends, and with many of them he had business dealings. The firm's relations with Thomas Hardy were always of the most friendly kind, and '"Far from tie Madding Crowd" and other novels were published by them, but when Hardy wrote "Tess of the D'Urbervilles'' he did not offer the book to them because he believed that this startling departure from the accepted standard of Hardy literature would be refused by his old firm of publishers. And in all probability it would, for "'Tess" was not at all the sort of work to appeal to the majority, of Hardy's usual readers.
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