Andrew Millar | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1705 (1705) |
| Died | 8 June 1768(1768-06-08) (aged 63) Kew Green, London |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Publisher |
Andrew Millar (1705 – 8 June 1768) was a British publisher in the eighteenth century.[1]
In 1725, as a twenty-year-old bookseller apprentice, he evadedEdinburgh city printing restrictions by going toLeith to print, which was considered beyond Edinburgh's jurisdiction. Millar was soon to take over his apprentice master's London print shop. He was actively involved in railing against the authorities in Edinburgh.[2]
About 1729, Millar started business as a bookseller and publisher in theStrand, London. His own judgment in literary matters was small, but he collected an excellent staff of literary advisers, and did not hesitate to pay what at the time were considered large prices for good material. "I respect Millar, sir," saidDr Johnson in 1755, "he has raised the price of literature." He paidThomson £105 forThe Seasons, andFielding a total sum of £700 forTom Jones and £1000 forAmelia.[3]
Millar was one of the syndicate of booksellers who financedJohnson's Dictionary in 1755, and on him the work of seeing that book through the press mainly fell.[3] During the same year Millar published the first edition of theMitchell Map.[citation needed] He also published the histories ofRobertson andHume, as well asJohn Jones'sFree and Candid Disquisitions.[3][4]
Millar was theplaintiff in the 1769 caseMillar v Taylor which held that authors and publishers are entitled to a perpetualcommon law copyright. That decision was ultimately overturned in the landmark 1774 caseDonaldson v Beckett, whose unsuccessful plaintiff was Millar's apprentice, Thomas Becket (or Beckett).[5]
Millar died at his villa atKew Green, near London, on 8 June 1768.[3]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Millar, Andrew".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 18 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 460.