James Burns (publisher)
Encyclopedia
James Burns was a Scottish publisher and author.
During the last half of the nineteenth century his work in the cause of Catholic literature and Catholic church music contributed much to the rapid advancement of the Church in Great Britain and to the many conversions that were made throughout that period.
with the idea that he should follow the same calling. But feeling no inclination for it, he left the school in 1832 and went to London where he found employment with a publishing firm. He acquired a knowledge of the trade and then set up for himself in a modest way. He soon won success and Anglican ministers adopted him, in their literary campaign of tracts and polemic publications. He then became a "Puseyite", or High Church man. From his press were issued books of a high literary tone in the series he called "The Englishman's Library" and "The Fireside Library". The Oxford Movement
under John Henry Newman drew him within its range, and he became a Catholic convert in 1847.
The Anglican publications of the old house were sold off. Burns succeeded, in a comparatively brief time, in building up a reputation as publisher of Catholic literature. To his "Popular Library" Cardinal Wiseman contributed Fabiola and Cardinal Newman, Callista. Other volumes from well-known writers, prayer books, and books of devotion made the name of the firm of Burns & Oates
a household word.
Burns himself also wrote constantly on church music, and edited and republished many compositions. He died from cancer
.
community at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
, U.S.A., January, 1893. Of his five daughters, four entered the Ursuline Order and the other became a Sister of Charity. His only son was ordained a priest, serving for a long time as chaplain at Nazareth House
, Hammersmith
, London.
During the last half of the nineteenth century his work in the cause of Catholic literature and Catholic church music contributed much to the rapid advancement of the Church in Great Britain and to the many conversions that were made throughout that period.
Life
His father was a Presbyterian minister and sent him to a college in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
with the idea that he should follow the same calling. But feeling no inclination for it, he left the school in 1832 and went to London where he found employment with a publishing firm. He acquired a knowledge of the trade and then set up for himself in a modest way. He soon won success and Anglican ministers adopted him, in their literary campaign of tracts and polemic publications. He then became a "Puseyite", or High Church man. From his press were issued books of a high literary tone in the series he called "The Englishman's Library" and "The Fireside Library". The Oxford Movement
Oxford Movement
The Oxford Movement was a movement of High Church Anglicans, eventually developing into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose members were often associated with the University of Oxford, argued for the reinstatement of lost Christian traditions of faith and their inclusion into Anglican liturgy...
under John Henry Newman drew him within its range, and he became a Catholic convert in 1847.
The Anglican publications of the old house were sold off. Burns succeeded, in a comparatively brief time, in building up a reputation as publisher of Catholic literature. To his "Popular Library" Cardinal Wiseman contributed Fabiola and Cardinal Newman, Callista. Other volumes from well-known writers, prayer books, and books of devotion made the name of the firm of Burns & Oates
Burns & Oates
Burns & Oates is a British Roman Catholic publishing house which now exists as an imprint of Continuum. It was founded by James Burns in 1835, originally as a bookseller...
a household word.
Burns himself also wrote constantly on church music, and edited and republished many compositions. He died from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
.
Family
His widow, who was also a convert, survived him twenty-two years, dying a member of the UrsulineUrsulines
The Ursulines are a Roman Catholic religious order for women founded at Brescia, Italy, by Saint Angela de Merici in November 1535, primarily for the education of girls and the care of the sick and needy. Their patron saint is Saint Ursula.-History:St Angela de Merici spent 17 years leading a...
community at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, U.S.A., January, 1893. Of his five daughters, four entered the Ursuline Order and the other became a Sister of Charity. His only son was ordained a priest, serving for a long time as chaplain at Nazareth House
Nazareth House
Nazareth House, also known as St. Andrew's Parish House, is a historic building located at Rochester in Monroe County, New York. It is a three story, brick institutional building built in 1893 and enlarged in 1911. The original section is a three story, five bay, red brick structure in the...
, Hammersmith
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
, London.