Spreading the Word

A disproportionate number of the great publishing houses of the English-speaking world - -Blackie, Blackwood, Collins, Constable, Macmillan, Millar, Murray, Nelson, Smith and Elder, Strahan -- were founded after the Treaty of Union in 1707, by men, often of humble origin, from north of the border (Scotland). Many of the now classic English writers of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries were personally encouraged by the men running these companies, nearly all of whom were also committed, for cultural as well as commercial reasons, to making literature in English accessible to all. This essay offers a comprehensive, yet short overview of this remarkable Scottish contribution to English literary history. Illus.