Abstract
Founded in 1843, the Macmillan publishing house was at the forefront of institutional change in the nineteenth century. The chapter explores how the Macmillan brothers manoeuvred through the industry to be one of the first general publishers, by often adopting and adapting social practices of the time including socialising at gentlemen’s clubs. Through an analysis of archival material and published sources, it has been possible to trace the establishment and development of business practices in relation to other influential businesses such as the A. P. Watt literary agency. The final section in this chapter is constructed around a rare menu card found in the archive of the Garrick—an exclusive gentlemen’s club providing a case study which further explores how gentlemen’s clubs aided literary businesses.
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References
Archives
Several collections were consulted at the British Library, the full reference is Archives and Manuscripts, British Library, London (cited in endnotes as [item location, collection name], BL).
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Joseph, M. (2019). The Macmillans: A Leviathan House. In: Victorian Literary Businesses. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28592-0_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28592-0_6
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