Life George Bentley (publisher)

1 life

1.1 years
1.2 publishing
1.3 temple bar
1.4 beyond novel publishing
1.5 3 volume novel
1.6 moving on
1.7 final years

life
early years

george bentley born @ 7 o clock in morning of saturday @ address in dorset square, on western edge of london, fourth of 9 recorded children of publisher richard bentley (1794-1871) marriage charlotte botten/bell (1800–1871). uncle printer-antiquarian samuel bentley. 2 elder brothers died in infancy. george bentley s education included period @ school run nonconformist minister, john potticary, in blackheath, numbered benjamin disraeli among alumni. bentley went on king s college london, concluding formal education , entering father s publishing office when 17. during next few years able travel abroad, , in rome in 1849 when french troops entered city put down republican rebellion. later in life restricted travel occasional vacations @ health resorts in british isles. lifelong asthmatic.

publishing

bentley s father had launched literary magazine in 1836 son contributed positive reviews of novels still relatively unknown wilkie collins. cause of tension between father , son arose when richard bentley believed had been excluded commercial discussions involving george bentley , author. sources imply not time disagreements broke out between richard , george bentley during years of george s publishing career. george became more of driving force in inter-generational partnership, firm became known eye-catching , confidence inspiring book bindings. later admirer novelist michael sadleir, wrote no rival publisher went in thoroughly , persistently ... panoply of glitter , colour ... [that betokened ] ... prosperity, confidence, , peace .

temple bar

in january 1866 bentley s firm purchased magazine temple bar £2,750 proprietor-editor, george sala, had himself purchased founder, john maxwell, couple of years earlier. magazine edited briefly novelist-dramatist edmund yates, resigned in july 1867. after searching unsuccessfully suitable successor, in november 1867 george bentley himself took on editorship of temple bar. bentley merged publication former house-journal, bentley s miscellany, had been sold william harrison ainsworth, twenty years later had run out of steam. in 1868 ainsworth content sell bentleys. editing temple bar himself, bentley able make 1 of 3 valuable literary properties . many of contributing magazine were, or became, of best known novelists of victorian england. had novels serialised in monthly magazine subsequently published in book form. under bentley s editorship , direction published authors , contributors temple bar included brothers thomas , anthony trollope, rhoda broughton, ellen wood, sheridan le fanu, charles reade, henry kingsley, robert louis stevenson, george gissing, arthur conan doyle, maarten maartens, , henry james. bentley able introduce readers translated contemporary classical works writers including honoré de balzac, alphonse daudet, anton chekhov, ivan turgenev, leo tolstoy , hans christian andersen.

beyond novel publishing

despite success firm enjoyed publishing novels , temple bar magazine, bentley extended publishing remit beyond fiction. works of scholarship published included history of rome theodor mommsen , history of greece ernst curtius. beyond world of printing , publishing, joined stationers company , became fellow of royal geographical society.

the 3 volume novel

although business flourished exploiting synergies between novel publishing , serializing novels in temple bar magazine, important pillar during 1870s , 1880s three-volume novel, standard format during mid nineteenth century published novelists deviated @ peril. bentley had concern rigidly formulaic three-volume structure restrict literary creativity , excellence: on occasion content depart formula. three-volume novels expensive readers buy, creating quasi-monopoly commercial lending libraries. during 1850s attacked commercial lending libraries cartel cutting price of own three-volume novels 10 shillings, less third of normal price, hoping in way readers persuaded buy own copies. strategy failed, however, , bentley accepted defeat, buying share in charles mudie s commercial lending library business when floated public company in 1864, bentley himself became major supplier of standard format three-volume novels lending library trade. nevertheless, 1880s bentley , mudie (who continued participate actively in business had created) seem have been on same side in three-volume novels debate, , bentleys increasingly supplying novels in cheaper one-volume format, both lending libraries , reader-buyers.

moving on

the 1860s decade of relative prosperity business , father-son business relationship between george bentley , father seems have been harmonious, hard identify sources of them setting strategy. old richard bentley suffered accident @ chepstow railway station in 1867 in broke leg, , forced retire firm. time richard bentley senior died in 1871 business had been renamed richard bentley , son . george bentley 43 , during 1880s george bentley showed himself content, increasingly, leave daily running of business own son, next richard bentley (1854-1936). during mid-1880s george bentley found time consuming new project, having spent twenty years buying number of contiguous plots of land became available, beside upton park, residential quarter of slough had lived family since 1860. other contiguous plots purchased son, richard, , mid 1880s 2 of them had purchased 15 plots. commissioned fashionable architect george devey design , build mere futuristic half-timbered mansion constructed using cavity walls , double glazed windows. possibly innovative feature of house elaborate hot , cold piped water supply. robert patten describes house, named mere , admiringly refuge fierce cost-cutting competition of late victorian publishing .

final years

after moving in 1887, george bentley ran publishing business new home, devoting increasing energy meteorology became consuming interest during final part of life, , 1 taken keenly son richard after died. time george bentley died @ mere, of angina pectoris @ end of may 1895, publishing business had become more cut-throat , less lucrative. bentleys business valued @ £20,000 in valuation included significant element goodwill , george s son nevertheless sold business in 1898 macmillans £8,000. george bentley survived widow less 3 years. son, richard bentley lived on @ mere estate till 1936. richard bentley married in 1905 cousin, lucy rosamond bentley. george s posthumously acquired daughter-in-law, lucy, lived on @ house till 1961, when 35 room mansion sold. today serves headquarters of national foundation educational research.