John Murray II | |
|---|---|
 Mezzotint portrait of Murray | |
| Born | John Samuel Murray (1778-11-27)November 27, 1778 London, England |
| Died | June 27, 1843(1843-06-27) (aged 64) |
| Occupation | Publisher |
| Spouse | |
| Children | John Murray III |
| Father | John Murray |
John Murray (27 November 1778 – 27 June 1843) was aScottish publisher and member of theJohn Murray publishing house. He published works by authors such asSir Walter Scott,Lord Byron,Jane Austen andMaria Rundell.[1]
The publishing house was founded by Murray's father, who died when Murray was only fifteen years old. During his adolescence, he ran the business with a partner Samuel Highley, but in 1803 the partnership was dissolved.[2] Murray soon began to show the courage in literary speculation which earned for him later the name given him by Lord Byron of "the Anak of publishers",[3] a reference toAnak in theBook of Numbers.
In 1807 Murray took a share withArchibald Constable in publishing Sir Walter Scott'sMarmion. In the same year, he became part-owner of theEdinburgh Review, although with the help ofGeorge Canning he launched in opposition theQuarterly Review in 1809, withWilliam Gifford as its editor, and Scott, Canning,Robert Southey,John Hookham Frere andJohn Wilson Croker among its earliest contributors.[3] He published Croker's popular poemThe Battles of Talavera in 1809. Murray was closely cooperated with Constable, but ended the association in 1813 due to Constable's business methods that did not work properly.
In 1811, the first two cantos of Lord Byron'sChilde Harold were brought to Murray byRobert Charles Dallas, to whom Byron had presented them. Murray paid Dallas 500guineas for the copyright. In 1812, he bought the publishing business ofWilliam Miller (1769–1844), and migrated to 50Albemarle Street. Literary London flocked to his house and Murray became the centre of the publishing world, regularly hosting meetings between authors and friends in his drawing-room.[1] It was in his drawing-room that Scott and Byron first met, and here, in 1824, after the death of Lord Byron, that the manuscript of his memoirs, considered by Gifford unfit for publication, was destroyed. A close friendship existed between Byron and his publisher, but for political reasons business relations ceased after the publication of the fifth canto ofDon Juan. Murray paid Byron some £20,000 for his various poems. ToThomas Moore he gave nearly £5,000 for writing the life of Byron, and toGeorge Crabbe £3,000 forTales of the Hall.[3]
The character Prester John inJohn Paterson's Mare,James Hogg's allegorical satire on the Edinburgh publishing scene, is based on John Murray.[4]
He is a supporting character inSusanna Clarke's novelJonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, and is played byJohn Sessions inits television adaptation.
Murray features as a character inSara Sheridan's Wilbur Smith Prize shortlisted novelOn Starlit Seas (2025) as the publisher ofMaria Graham.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Murray, Johns.v. John Murray (2)".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 19 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 41.