tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382076272947689523.post1004860595737954859..comments2024-01-27T13:22:38.545-08:00Comments on BOOKTRYST: Nice Ass, Great BindingStephen J. Gertzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14369781936876020975noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382076272947689523.post-60903937781429202472012-12-14T12:11:45.089-08:002012-12-14T12:11:45.089-08:00George Bell and Sons are interesting, and not to b...George Bell and Sons are interesting, and not to be dismissed so lightly. The eponymous founder was the son of Matthew Bell of Richmond, Yorkshire, who succeeded to the bookselling business of Isabella Tinkler (+1794. Speight's Romantic Richmondshire, to which and to the Oxford DNB I am indebted for information in this comment, describing her portrait by George Cuitt (reproduced in Hartley & Ingilby, Dales Heritage), says that with her masculine features, Isabella Tinkler could be mistaken for a man, which explains Byng's word-picture of her in his 1792 Tour to the North).<br />Trading as Bell & Daldy, later George Bell & Sons, they took over Bohn's Libraries.<br />He also took over the business of J. & J. Deighton, booksellers of Cambridge, hence Deighton, Bell & Co.<br />In the late 1800s, early 1900s, maybe the firm's heyday, it published several books and series on art. <br />In 1880 Bells bought the Chiswick Press, Charles Whittingham II ( who had had an interest in certain of the Bell titles) having died in 1876. I have, in my collection some of the Bohn's Libraries books published by Bell including lloyd Storr-Best(tr.) Varro On Farming which bears the Chiswick Press colophon of the Aldine(& Pickering-derived dolphin and anchor, the anchor being held by a lion rampart. The Chiswick Press was merged with the firm of William Griggs & Sons, lithographers, in 1919. In 1937 the business resumed the old Chiswick Press name which adorns, inter alia several of the books published under the Richards Press and Unicorn Press imprints when they were under the directorship of Martin Secker. It was bought at some stage by Eyre and Spottiswoode, and in 1962 finally closed.<br />As for George Bell & Sons, its latery story is somewhat sad, and shortly told. In 1977, on retiring as chairman, Richard Glanville, great-grandson of the founder, sold the firm to Robin Hyman who renamed it Bell and Hyman. It merged with Allen and Unwin in 1986 to form Unwin Hyman. The Bell name thus disappeared. In turn, in 1990 Unwin Hyman was sold to HarperCollins and itself vanished in that conglomerate.<br /> <br /> Peter M. Thornbernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382076272947689523.post-65130093810370026922012-12-13T04:46:27.279-08:002012-12-13T04:46:27.279-08:00Just beautiful.Just beautiful.Michael J. Riserhttp://www.theflyingmonkeyapparatus.comnoreply@blogger.com