This and the following pages contain "Library Cards" downloaded from COPAC which is a database which has a record for each book held by the English Universities plus the British Library.

The British Book Trade Index hosted by Birmingham University has details of all trades involved in the Book Publishing/Selling business in England and Wales.

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Publishing in the 18th and 19th Centuries was carried out somewhat differently than it is today.

A look at the letters written by Adam Clarke to his publisher William Baynes will show the division of labour in the publication of a book. The author writes his grand opus and offers it to his bookseller. The bookseller agrees to take a number of copies and contracts with the author to take that many on publication. The author could tout his book around as many booksellers as he could reach with each agreeing to sell a number of books. With these guaranteed sales the author could then find a printer to print the work. A printer close to the author's home is convenient for a knowledgeable author would want to attend the printworks on a regular basis to ensure a consistent quality of work and to proofread the first copy of each page in order to correct the typesetter's mistakes (author's corrections! as the printer would have it).

Bookbinding was part of the printer's contract, methods of delivery was up to the bookseller, and payment (within three months of delivery) was down to the bookseller. It is interesting that Adam Clarke gives a comparison of the three transport methods.

Mailcoach.......Fast but expensive
Wagon...........Slow but cheap
Boat............Cheapest but fraught with danger.

(No wonder the railways did so well when they were introduced.)

For agreeing to take a set number of books a bookseller could have his name inscribed on the title page of the book. These bookseller's names are used by COPAC as publisher's names. That is why some books can have quite a few publishers listed. In the lists you may well see one or two names which have survived to the present day.

Looking at the titles in the lists, you might wonder who would want to buy such uninteresting books. You have to consider the market place. In the years around 1800 there were two kinds of people buying books. The Gentleman who wanted a "Library" to sit in and to impress his friends, reading would not have been high on his list of reasons. And the Church Minister keen to keep up with the religious trends and desperate for Sermons. The Methodists with their emphasis on preaching had compounded the need for fresh ideas. The novel was in its infancy as a popular medium with high prices in England damping down demand.

There are several bookseller publishers named BAYNES in these lists. There is William Baynes, with whom I am most interested. He appears as Baynes; Baynes & Co; W Baynes; and Baynes & Son. He had several sons whom he set up as booksellers in various towns in Britain when they came of age. The eldest son John became the "& Son" but he died in 1828. See the page with details of Bookseller's Catalogues and the page with details of Directory entries.

Henry Samuel Baynes set up shop in Edinburgh 1823-18?? but return to London after the death of his elder brother and father. Probably to help his mother to run the business. The shop in Paternoster Row carried on trading into 1841. Mary Ann then went into retirement and Henry Samuel opened a bookshop in St John's Square, Clerkenwell. fl1841-1851 Trading until his retirement. On retiring Henry took up the pen as an author.

William Baynes junior was apprenticed as a printer, and did set up his own print shop and carried out some work for his father on some books. He appears to have become a printer's reader (1851 Census) and died in 1868. Entries for William Baynes, letterpress printer, appear intermittently in the London Directories for the period 1826-1835. See the page with details of Directory entries.

Adam Clarke Baynes set up shop in Liverpool 1829-1843. His career in England was cut short by legal proceedings against him for breach of copyright. His sold his shop but continued to live in Liverpool. See the page with details of Directory entries.

Thomas Baynes the youngest son stayed home the longest. He was living, still unmarried, with his mother for the 1841 Census. He started his own bookshop, See the page with details of Bookseller's Catalogues and he does appear in the London Directories for a short time 1844 to 1845. See the page with details of Directory entries. He died in 1848.

Other Baynes entries in the list include Richard Baynes of Paternoster Row (1817-1853). The 1851 Census gives his place of birth as Kirkby Malzeard, Yorkshire, so he may be related to William Baynes. See the page with details of Bookseller's Catalogues and the page with details of Directory entries.

Charles Baynes, printer (1820-1834). There is a will in the P.R.O. for a Charles Baynes, printer of Kentish Town dated 21 April 1834.

Godfrey John Baynes, bookseller of Gravesend (1847-1871). He originated in Leicestershire, I believe.

Henry Baynes, Stationer. There was a Henry Baynes who had a stationers shop in the City of London. He died and the business continued as E Baynes & Co. Henry Baynes as publisher will be this Henry or Henry Samuel Baynes.