Constable, Archibald (1774-1827: publisher)

Archibald Constable ( 1774-1827 ), publisher, was born in Carnbee, Fife, the son of the factor to the Earl of Kellie. He started his bookseller's apprenticeship in 1788 with Peter Hill of Edinburgh and by 1795 he had opened his own business. In 1798 he began publishing books and in 1801 he bought the Scots Magazine . In 1802 he became the publisher for the Edinburgh Review and also acted as publisher for Sir Walter Scott ( 1771-1832 ) and other distinguished authors of the time. In 1812 Constable bought the copyright of the Encyclopaedia Britannica . The financial collapse in 1826 of his London agents, Hurst, Robinson and Co, brought about not only Constable's financial ruin but also the bankruptcy of Scott. He fought back with the publication of Constable's Miscellany ( 1827 ), but his financial troubles hastened his death.