Adam Black
Adam Black a famous Scottish publisher
Adam Black (1784 - 1874) On the 20th of February 1784 Adam Black was born in Edinburgh, the son of master builder Charles Black, mason, and Isabella Nicol. He was educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh and from 20 March 1799 he became an apprentice to the Edinburgh bookseller John Fairbairn. In 1804 he moved to the London bookseller Lackington. In 1807, at the age of 23, he returned to Edinburgh and established his own business. In only a few years the company, became the main booksellers and publishers in Edinburgh and in 1834 his nephew Charles Black joined the business which became known as A. & C. Black. On the 4th June 1817 Adam Black married Isabella Tait.
In 1827 Adam Black, together with a few friends, gained the ownership of the copyright to the Encyclopaedia Britannica. The business continued to expand and in 1851 it was able to purchase the stock and copyright of Walter Scott's Waverley Novels for the sum of £27,000. In 1854 Charles Black died at the age of 47. Adam Black brought his three youngest sons into the business; James Tait Black (1826-1911), Francis (1830-92) and Adam William (1836-1898). In 1861 the company became the owners of the works of Thomas de Quincey, best known for his book, "Confessions of an English Opium-Eater". Adam Black took retirement towards the end of 1870 and died on the 24th of January 1874.
Adam Black also involved himself in politics writing many pamphlets on political and religious subjects. In 1822 he became commissioner of police in Edinburgh and he served twice as Lord Provost of Edinburgh (1843-48). From 1856 - 1865 he represented Edinburgh as a Member of Parliament. The image to the right shows the bronze statue of Adam Black in East Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh.
Adam Black's Legacy
The house of A. & C. Black published the 7th, 8th and 9th editions of the Encyclopedia Britannica but in 1901 it was purchased by the American publishers Horace E. Hooper and Walter M. Jackson. A&C Black is also known for its, annual, Who's Who which was first published in 1897. In 1889 the company moved from Edinburgh to London. Still based in London A. & C. Black is now owned by Bloomsbury.
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