George Bell & Sons

In 1839 George Bell set up shop at 1 Bouverie Street, London as an educational book supplier, announcing himself as the London outlet for university publishers. Having established a secure income from retail, he began in 1840 to bring out his own publications, specialising in classical texts and practical handbooks such as his Railway Companions . He outgrew his Bouverie Street premises within a year, and moved to 186 Fleet Street. During the next decades he continued to expand the publishing arm of his business, while remaining in business as a bookseller. He gained a reputation for books on art, architecture and archaeology, largely through his friendship with Henry Cole and his associates, but continued to be known chiefly for his educational output, benefiting from good connections with many noted headmasters. During the 1850s he also ventured into children's literature, publishing the work of Margaret Gatty, and later that of her daughter, Juliana Horatia Ewing.

In 1854 Bell acquired the Cambridge firm of J. & J.J. Deighton, which was renamed Deighton, Bell and Company. Despite installing W. Wright Smith as resident partner in Cambridge, Bell was acquiring too many personal responsibilities. In 1856 he therefore entered into partnership with Frederick R. Daldy. The firm continued with educational publishing but also expanded its interests. Bell & Daldy published the Aldine Edition of British Poets, acquired by Bell in 1854, and began to bring out other volumes of verse, including some of the work of Andrew Lang and Robert Bridges. English and foreign-language dictionaries were another addition to the list, after Bell acquired the British rights to Webster's Dictionary .

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