Regency Personalities Series-Lackington’s Temple of Muses

Regency Personalities Series

In my attempts to provide us with the details of the Regency, today I continue with one of the many period notables.

Lackington’s Temple of Muses
1793 –

 

 

 

Opened by James Lackington, the bookstore in Finsbury Square was called the “Temple of the Muses” and was said to have been large enough “that a mail-coach and four were driven round the counters at its opening” in 1793. His love of books is exemplified in the tale that, on arriving in London with his wife, he spent their last half-crown on a book of poems. He explained “for had I bought a dinner, we should have eaten it to-morrow, and the pleasure would have been soon over, but should we live fifty years longer, we shall have the Night Thoughts to feast upon.

In 1798, Lackington retired to his estate in Gloucestershire, leaving the Temple of the Muses to his third cousin George Lackington. This included George’s ability to purchase shares in the company of Lackington, Allen & Co.

The first volume of the Lackington’s Catalogue, Michaelmas 1799 to Michaelmas 1800, described over 200,000 books; the second volume, which described over 800,000, was issued in 1803. Selling cheaply in large quantities, for cash only, was the business model, but the firm also went into publishing. Besides George Lackington, the other members of the firm were Allen, who possessed a great knowledge of books acquired from early training with James Lackington, and Richard Hughes, also lessee of Sadler’s Wells. Subsequent partners were A. Kirkman, Mavor, a son of William Fordyce Mavor of Woodstock, and Jones. In 1822 the business was conducted under the name of Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Lepard.

On the retirement of George Lackington, Joseph Harding became the chief partner, and the business was moved to Pall Mall East by Harding and Lepard. Many well-known booksellers received their training there; the “last of the Lackingtonians”, Kanes James Ford, died 11 December 1886, at the age of 94

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Regency Personalities Series-George Lackington

Regency Personalities Series
In my attempts to provide us with the details of the Regency, today I continue with one of the many period notables.

George Lackington
1777 – March 31 1844

Lackington’s

George Lackington inherited the business of his distant relation James Lackington, on his retirement in 1798. He had started work in this bookselling business in Chiswell Street, London, at the age of 13; James Lackington was perhaps a third cousin, but George Lackington was usually known as the “nephew”. His father was a prosperous coal merchant, and provided his son with the capital to purchase a share in Lackington, Allen, & Co.’s large shop in Finsbury Square. He became head of the firm in 1798.

The first volume of the Lackington’s Catalogue, Michaelmas 1799 to Michaelmas 1800, described over 200,000 books; the second volume, which described over 800,000, was issued in 1803. Selling cheaply in large quantities, for cash only, was the business model, but the firm also went into publishing.

Besides Lackington, the other members of the firm were Allen, who possessed a great knowledge of books acquired from early training with James Lackington, and Richard Hughes, also lessee of Sadler’s Wells. Subsequent partners were A. Kirkman, Mavor, a son of William Fordyce Mavor of Woodstock, and Jones. In 1822 the business was conducted under the name of Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Lepard.

The Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly was bought by Lackington, and let for miscellaneous exhibitions. In his later years he was an official assignee of bankrupts in London. He died at St. John’s Wood on 31 March 1844, aged 76.

On the retirement of George Lackington, Joseph Harding became the chief partner, and the business was moved to Pall Mall East by Harding and Lepard. Many well-known booksellers received their training there.

He married a daughter of Captain Bullock, R.N., and left two daughters.

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Regency Personalities Series-James Lackington

Regency Personalities Series
In my attempts to provide us with the details of the Regency, today I continue with one of the many period notables.

James Lackington
31 August 1746-22 November 1815

James Lackington

James Lackington was a bookseller who is credited with revolutionizing the British book trade. A shoemaker’s son trained as a cobbler, he showed early initiative by selling pies and cakes in the street when aged 10 and teaching himself to read. In August 1773, Lackington arrived in London with two shillings and sixpence, and would eventually become a wealthy man. He is best known for refusing credit at his shop which allowed him to reduce the price of books throughout his store. He printed catalogues of his stock; according to Lackington’s biography, the first edition contained 12,000 titles. He bought whole libraries and published writers’ manuscripts. He also saved remaindered books from destruction and resold them at bargain prices, firmly believing that books were the key to knowledge, reason and happiness and that everyone, no matter their economic background, social class or gender, had the right to access books at cheap prices.

Temple of the Muses

Lackington’s main bookstore in Finsbury Square was called the “Temple of the Muses” and was said to have been large enough “that a mail-coach and four were driven round the counters at its opening” in 1793. His love of books is exemplified in the tale that, on arriving in London with his wife, he spent their last Half-crown on a book of poems. He explained “if I had bought a dinner we should have had it tomorrow and the pleasure would be over; but should we live fifty years we shall have these poems to feast on.”

Lackington wrote two autobiographies: Memoirs of the First Forty-Five Years of the Life of James Lackington (1791) and The Confessions of James Lackington (1804), to which Letters, on the bad consequences of having daughters educated at Boarding Schools was later appended. He considered himself to have been blessed with two happy marriages, the first to Nancy, who died of fever, then Dorcas.

In 1798, Lackington retired to his estate in Gloucestershire, leaving the Temple of the Muses to his third cousin George Lackington.

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