Archibald Constable (24 February 1774 - 21 July 1827), was a Scottish publisher, bookseller and stationer. He was born at Carnbee, Fife, as the son of the land steward to the Earl of Kellie. In 1788 Archibald was apprenticed to Peter Hill, an Edinburgh bookseller, but in 1795 he started in business for himself as a dealer in rare books. He bought the Scots Magazine in 1801, and John Leyden, the orientalist, became its editor.

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  • Archibald Constable (24 February 1774 - 21 July 1827), was a Scottish publisher, bookseller and stationer. He was born at Carnbee, Fife, as the son of the land steward to the Earl of Kellie. In 1788 Archibald was apprenticed to Peter Hill, an Edinburgh bookseller, but in 1795 he started in business for himself as a dealer in rare books. He bought the Scots Magazine in 1801, and John Leyden, the orientalist, became its editor. In 1800 Constable began the Farmer's Magazine, and in November 1802 he issued the first number of the Edinburgh Review, under the nominal editorship of Sydney Smith; Lord Jeffrey, was, however, the guiding spirit of the review, having as his associates Lord Brougham, Sir Walter Scott, Henry Hallam, John Playfair and afterwards Lord Macaulay. Constable made a new departure in publishing by the generosity of his terms to authors. Writers for the Edinburgh Review were paid at an unprecedented rate, and Constable offered Scott 1000 guineas in advance for Marmion. In 1804 A. G. Hunter joined Constable as partner, bringing considerable capital into the firm, styled from that time Archibald Constable & Co. In 1805, jointly with Longman & Co. , Constable published Scott's Lay of the Last Minstrel, and in 1807 Marmion. In 1808 a split took place between Constable and Sir Walter Scott, who transferred his business to the publishing firm of John Ballantyne & Co. , for which he supplied most of the capital. In 1813, however, a reconciliation took place. Ballantyne was in difficulties, and Constable again became Scott's publisher, a condition being that the firm of John Ballantyne & Co. should be wound up at an early date, though Scott retained his interest in the printing business of James Ballantyne & Co. In 1812 Constable, who had admitted Robert Cathcart and Robert Cadell as partners on Hunter's retirement, purchased the copyright of the Encyclopædia Britannica, adding the supplement (6 vols, 1816-1824) to the 4th, 5th and 6th editions. In 1814 he bought the copyright of Waverley. This was issued anonymously; but in a short time 12,200 copies were disposed of, Scott's other novels following in quick succession. The firm also published the Annual Register. Through over-speculation, complications arose, and in 1826 a crash came. Constable's London agents stopped payment, and he failed for over £250,000, while James Ballantyne & Co. also went bankrupt for nearly £90,000. Sir Walter Scott was affected by the failure of both firms. Constable started business afresh, and began in 1827 Constable's Miscellany of original and selected works ... consisting of a series of original works, and of standard books republished in a cheap form, thus making one of the earliest and most famous attempts to popularize high-quality literature. The Constable publishing business continued in the twentieth century, issuing a wide range of fiction and non-fiction books. It continues today as Constable & Robinson.
  • Archibald Constable, né le 24 février 1774 à Carnbee, dans le comté de Fife, mort le 21 juillet 1827, est un patron de presse et un éditeur écossais. Fils de l'intendant du comte de Kellie, Archibald Constable est mis en apprentissage auprès d'un libraire d'Édimbourg, en 1788. En 1795, il se lance lui-même dans le commerce comme vendeur de livres rares. Il vend les Scots Magazine en 1801, et l'orientaliste John Leyden, devient son éditeur. En 1800, Constable lance le Farmer's Magazine; puis, en novembre 1802, il publie le premier numéro de la Revue d'Édimbourg, dont l'éditeur nominal est Sydney Smith; Lord Jeffrey, est, cependant, l'âme directrice de la revue, ayant comme associés Lord Brougham, Sir Walter Scott, Henry Hallam, John Playfair et, par la suite, Lord Macaulay. Constable se distingue par la générosité des contrats qu'il offre aux auteurs. Ceux qui écrivent pour la Revue d'Édimbourg sont payés à un taux sans précédent. Ainsi, Constable offre à Scott une avance de 1 000 guinées pour son poème Marmion. En 1804, A. G. Hunter rejoint Constable comme partenaire, constituant un capital considérable dans l'entreprise, connue sous le nom : Archibald Constable & Co. En 1805, conjointement avec Longman & Co. , Constable publie Le Lai du dernier ménestrel et, en 1807, Marmion de Scott. En 1808, Constable et Walter Scott se fâchent, et l'écrivain choisit de se faire éditer par l'imprimeur John Ballantyne & Co. En 1813, cependant, les deux hommes se réconcilient. Ballantyne connaît des difficultés, et Constable redevient l'éditeur de Scott, à condition que l'entreprise de John Ballantyne & Co. serait remontée à une date proche, bien que Scott conserve des intérêts dans l'imprimerie de James Ballantyne & Co. En 1812, Constable, qui a admis Robert Cathcart et Robert Cadell comme partenaires, lors du retrait de Hunter, achète le copyright de l'Encyclopædia Britannica, ajoutant des suppléments (6 vols, 1816-1824) dans les 4, 5 et 6 éditions. En 1814, il achète le copyright de Waverley. Ce livre est publié anonymement; mais, en peu de temps, 12 200 exemplaires sont vendus. Outre les romans de Scott, l'entreprise publie le Registre annuel. Toutefois, la situation financière de l'entreprise se dégrade et, en 1826, elle subit un crash. Les agents londoniens de Constable arrêtent les paiements, et il perd £250 000; James Ballantyne & Co. fait également banqueroute, perdant environ £90 000. Sir Walter Scott est entraîné dans la ruine de ses associés. Constable crée une nouvelle entreprise, qui prend le nom en 1827 de la Collection d'originaux et de sélections d'œuvres de Constable (la Miscellany of original and selected works ... ), qui publie une série d'ouvrages originaux et réédite des livres standard à un prix bon marché, réalisant ainsi l'une des plus premières et plus fameuses tentatives pour populariser une littérature de haute qualité.
  • Archibald Constable, foi um editor escocês. Em 1812 comprou os direitos autorais da Enciclopédia Britânica.
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  • Archibald Constable (24 February 1774 - 21 July 1827), was a Scottish publisher, bookseller and stationer. He was born at Carnbee, Fife, as the son of the land steward to the Earl of Kellie. In 1788 Archibald was apprenticed to Peter Hill, an Edinburgh bookseller, but in 1795 he started in business for himself as a dealer in rare books. He bought the Scots Magazine in 1801, and John Leyden, the orientalist, became its editor.
  • Archibald Constable, né le 24 février 1774 à Carnbee, dans le comté de Fife, mort le 21 juillet 1827, est un patron de presse et un éditeur écossais. Fils de l'intendant du comte de Kellie, Archibald Constable est mis en apprentissage auprès d'un libraire d'Édimbourg, en 1788. En 1795, il se lance lui-même dans le commerce comme vendeur de livres rares. Il vend les Scots Magazine en 1801, et l'orientaliste John Leyden, devient son éditeur.
  • Archibald Constable, foi um editor escocês. Em 1812 comprou os direitos autorais da Enciclopédia Britânica.
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  • Archibald Constable
  • Archibald Constable
  • Archibald Constable
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