Effingham Wilson
Encyclopedia
Effingham William Wilson (28 September 1785, Ravensworth
, North Riding of Yorkshire
- 9 June 1868, London
) was a 19th-century British publisher and bookseller. He published in the 1820s for the first-born London Statistical Society.
A strong advocate of freedom of the press
, Wilson published material which other publishers found too politically dangerous (to the extent that a 1994 Wilson biography is titled "the radical
publisher of the Royal Exchange
"), including works by Jeremy Bentham
, William Godwin
, Thomas Perronet Thompson
, and Robert Owen
. His progressivist tendencies also extended to his use of technological innovations: Wilson was the first business owner in his neighbourhood to use gaslight
, and in 1835—after having been a passenger on the first train
into London—he founded Railway Magazine
, the first railway-themed trade journal
.
Wilson also published poetry, and was the first publisher of both Alfred, Lord Tennyson and Robert Browning
. He also published the Poet Laureate
Thomas Campbell. He was also an original publisher of William Hazlitt
.
In 1848, Wilson proposed that England have a national theatre company; this led to the creation of the Royal National Theatre
in London.
General Lafayette sent Wilson a bust of himself and an autographed letter after he published one of his works in translation in London.
The obituary for Wilson in The Hornet said: "at the present time the firm of Effingham Wilson is known throughout the world as one of the foremost houses in the publishing trade."
Ravensworth
Ravensworth is a small village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. It is approximately north-west of Richmond and from Darlington. It is situated in the Holmedale valley and is in the ward of Gilling West...
, North Riding of Yorkshire
North Riding of Yorkshire
The North Riding of Yorkshire was one of the three historic subdivisions of the English county of Yorkshire, alongside the East and West Ridings. From the Restoration it was used as a Lieutenancy area. The three ridings were treated as three counties for many purposes, such as having separate...
- 9 June 1868, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) was a 19th-century British publisher and bookseller. He published in the 1820s for the first-born London Statistical Society.
A strong advocate of freedom of the press
Freedom of the press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...
, Wilson published material which other publishers found too politically dangerous (to the extent that a 1994 Wilson biography is titled "the radical
Political radicalism
The term political radicalism denotes political principles focused on altering social structures through revolutionary means and changing value systems in fundamental ways...
publisher of the Royal Exchange
Royal Exchange (London)
The Royal Exchange in the City of London was founded in 1565 by Sir Thomas Gresham to act as a centre of commerce for the city. The site was provided by the City of London Corporation and the Worshipful Company of Mercers, and is trapezoidal, flanked by the converging streets of Cornhill and...
"), including works by Jeremy Bentham
Jeremy Bentham
Jeremy Bentham was an English jurist, philosopher, and legal and social reformer. He became a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law, and a political radical whose ideas influenced the development of welfarism...
, William Godwin
William Godwin
William Godwin was an English journalist, political philosopher and novelist. He is considered one of the first exponents of utilitarianism, and the first modern proponent of anarchism...
, Thomas Perronet Thompson
Thomas Perronet Thompson
Thomas Perronet Thompson was a British Parliamentarian, a Governor of Sierra Leone and a radical reformer.Thompson was born in Kingston upon Hull in 1783. He was son of Thomas Thompson, a merchant of Hull and his wife, Philothea Perronet Briggs...
, and Robert Owen
Robert Owen
Robert Owen was a Welsh social reformer and one of the founders of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement.Owen's philosophy was based on three intellectual pillars:...
. His progressivist tendencies also extended to his use of technological innovations: Wilson was the first business owner in his neighbourhood to use gaslight
Gas lighting
Gas lighting is production of artificial light from combustion of a gaseous fuel, including hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, propane, butane, acetylene, ethylene, or natural gas. Before electricity became sufficiently widespread and economical to allow for general public use, gas was the most...
, and in 1835—after having been a passenger on the first train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
into London—he founded Railway Magazine
Railway Gazette International
Railway Gazette International is a monthly business journal covering the railway, metro, light rail and tram industries worldwide. Available by annual subscription, the magazine is read in over 140 countries by transport professionals and decision makers, railway managers, engineers, consultants...
, the first railway-themed trade journal
Trade journal
A trade magazine, also called a professional magazine, is a magazine published with the intention of target marketing to a specific industry or type of trade. The collective term for this area of publishing is the trade press....
.
Wilson also published poetry, and was the first publisher of both Alfred, Lord Tennyson and Robert Browning
Robert Browning
Robert Browning was an English poet and playwright whose mastery of dramatic verse, especially dramatic monologues, made him one of the foremost Victorian poets.-Early years:...
. He also published the Poet Laureate
Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom
The Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, also referred to as the Poet Laureate, is the Poet Laureate appointed by the monarch of the United Kingdom on the advice of the Prime Minister...
Thomas Campbell. He was also an original publisher of William Hazlitt
William Hazlitt
William Hazlitt was an English writer, remembered for his humanistic essays and literary criticism, and as a grammarian and philosopher. He is now considered one of the great critics and essayists of the English language, placed in the company of Samuel Johnson and George Orwell. Yet his work is...
.
In 1848, Wilson proposed that England have a national theatre company; this led to the creation of the Royal National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
in London.
General Lafayette sent Wilson a bust of himself and an autographed letter after he published one of his works in translation in London.
The obituary for Wilson in The Hornet said: "at the present time the firm of Effingham Wilson is known throughout the world as one of the foremost houses in the publishing trade."