Constable, Archibald 1774-1827
Scottish publisher

Born in Carnbee, Fife, he became a bookseller's apprentice in Edinburgh at the age of 14, and in 1795 started as a bookseller on his own account, quickly gathering round him the chief book-collectors of the time. He drifted into publishing, bought the Scots Magazine in 1801, and was chosen as publisher of the Edinburgh Review (1802). For his flair and respect for editorial independence he is regarded as the first modern publisher. He published for all the leading men of the time, and his quick appreciation of Walter Scott became the envy of the book trade. In 1812 he purchased the copyright of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, but in 1826 was financially ruined, heavily involving Scott in his bankruptcy. Incorrigibly innovative, in 1827 he launched Constable's Miscellany, a series of volumes on literature, art and science, moderately priced to encourage sales among the common man, but he died before he could capitalize on its success.