Carey & Lea (Philadelphia, Pa.)

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Philadelphia publishers.

From the description of Letter and invoice : Philadelphia, to John Babcock & Son, 1825 Sept. 21. (Rosenbach Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 122586029

Mathew Carey (January 28, 1760 – September 16, 1839) was an Irish-born American publisher and economist who lived and worked in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Carey was born in 1760 in Dublin into a middle-class Catholic family.

He entered the bookselling and printing business in 1775 and, at the age of seventeen, published a pamphlet criticizing dueling. He followed this with a work criticizing the severity of the Irish penal code, and another criticizing Parliament. As a result, the British House of Commons threatened him with prosecution. In 1781 Carey fled to Paris as a political refugee. There he met Benjamin Franklin, the ambassador representing the American Revolutionary forces, which achieved independence that year. Franklin took Carey to work in his printing office.

Upon Carey's arrival in Philadelphia, he found that Franklin had recommended him to Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, who gave him $400 to establish himself. He used this money to set up a new publishing business and a book shop.

During Carey's lifetime, the publishing firm evolved to M. Carey & Son (1817–1821), M. Carey & Sons (1821–1824), and then to Carey & Lea (1824). Carey retired in 1825, leaving the publishing business to his son, Henry Charles Carey and son-in-law Isaac Lea.

Lea and Henry Carey made the business economically successful and, for a time, it was one of the most prominent publishers in the country. The business published such works as: The Encyclopedia Americana, a dictionary of German lexicon, as well as American editions of the works of authors Sir Walter Scott and James Fenimore Cooper.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Carey & Lea letter from [J.] C. Warren, 1831 New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division
creatorOf Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878. Autograph letter signed : Princeton, to Carey Lea & Co., 1838 Sept. 8. Pierpont Morgan Library.
creatorOf Dunglison, Robley, 1798-1869. Autobiographical ana (p. 139-476) [manuscript] 1824-1851. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Letters to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1761-1904 (inclusive), 1820-1888 (bulk) Houghton Library
creatorOf Cooper, James Fenimore, 1789-1851. James Fenimore Cooper collection of papers, 1825-1904 bulk (1825-1849). New York Public Library System, NYPL
referencedIn Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866. Jared Sparks collection of American manuscripts, 1582-1843 Houghton Library
referencedIn Tucker, George, 1775-1861. Letters of George Tucker [manuscript] 1836, 1837. University of Virginia. Library
creatorOf Asher Brown Durand papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf Child, Lydia Maria, 1802-1880. Correspondence with her sister [Mrs. Warren Preston] May 26, 1822, Oct. 28, 1827, : to Messrs Carey & Lea, 1830 June 20, Boston, to Mary E. Stearns [from] Aunt Maria, West Newton, July 17th, 1851, to Messrs. Ticknor Fields, Nov. 12, 1865, to Mrs. Spring, [n.d.], Mrs. Clarke, June 18, 1876, and a ms. of an essay. University of Wisconsin - Madison, General Library System
referencedIn Henry Carey letter book 1815-1835 1830-1835 Carey, Henry letter book William L. Clements Library
referencedIn Weems, M. L. (Mason Locke), 1759-1825. Letter to Thomas Cummings [manuscript], 1822 August 26. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Vol. LIV ( ff. 333 ). 14 Feb. 1837-19 Nov. 1840.Richard Bentley, publisher (I): Agreements with authors and others: 1829-1871.: Mostly signed.includes:ff. 1-2 (signed), 3 (draft) Captain Sir John Ross, RN: Agreements with R. Bentley: 1837-1838.ff.... British Library
referencedIn James Fenimore Cooper collection of papers, 1825-1904, 1825-1849 The New York Public Library. Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature.
referencedIn Dunglison, Robley, 1798-1869. Letter to Carey & Lee [manuscript] 1831 September 10. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Knox, John. Papers of John Knox, 1903-1979. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Weens, M. L. (Mason Locke), 1759-1825. Letter : to Thomas Cummings, 1822 August 26. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Gibson, James. Papers, 1712-1846. Historical Society of Pennsylvania
referencedIn James Fenimore Cooper collection, 1792-1976, 1792-1894 Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
referencedIn Fendall, Philip Ricard, 1794-1868. Correspondence of Philip Ricard Fendall [manuscript] 1811-62. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Cooper, James Fenimore, 1789-1851. Papers, 1792-1884. American Antiquarian Society
creatorOf H.C. Carey & I. Lea (firm). Letter and invoice : Philadelphia, to John Babcock & Son, 1825 Sept. 21. Rosenbach Museum & Library
creatorOf Cabell, Joseph C. (Joseph Carrington), 1778-1856. Letter, Warminster [Nelson County, Virginia], to Carey & Lea bookpublishers, Philadelphia, asking for books on civil engineering, and on the life of Tellford [manuscript] 1839 June 30. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Vol. LIII ( ff. 350 ). 19 Mar. 1833-11 Feb. 1837.Richard Bentley, publisher (I): Agreements with authors and others: 1829-1871.: Mostly signed.includes:ff. 1 (signed), 305 Mrs Anne Catherine Monkland, novelist: Agreements and accompt with R. Bentl... British Library
referencedIn Gardiner, Edward Carey, ca. 1879-1945,. Collection, 1632-1939. Historical Society of Pennsylvania
creatorOf Carey & Lea, Philadelphia. Letters signed : Philadelphia, to Henry Wheaton, 1836 May 7. Pierpont Morgan Library.
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Cabell, Joseph C. (Joseph Carrington), 1778-1856. person
associatedWith Carey, Edward L., 1806-1845. person
associatedWith Carey, Mathew, 1760-1839 person
associatedWith Child, Lydia Maria, 1802-1880. person
associatedWith Cooper, James Fenimore, 1789-1851. person
associatedWith Dunglison, Robley, 1798-1869. person
associatedWith Durand, A. B. (Asher Brown), 1796-1886. person
associatedWith Fendall, Philip Ricard, 1794-1868. person
associatedWith Gardiner, Edward Carey, ca. 1879-1945, person
associatedWith Gibson, James. person
associatedWith Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878. person
associatedWith John Babcock & Son, corporateBody
associatedWith Knox, John. person
correspondedWith Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, 1807-1882 person
associatedWith Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866 person
associatedWith Tucker, George, 1775-1861. person
associatedWith Weems, M. L. (Mason Locke), 1759-1825 person
associatedWith Wheaton, Henry, 1785-1848, person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Philadelphia PA US
Subject
Printing
Printing
Publishers and publishing
Publishers and publishing
Publishers
Occupation
Bookseller
Printer
Publishers
Activity

Corporate Body

Active 1824

Active 1851

Americans,

Irish

English

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Ark ID: w6553dbp

SNAC ID: 85797083