William Miller (publisher)
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William Richard Beckford Miller (1769-1844) was one of the leading English publishers of the early 19th century.
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[edit] Origins and early life
William Miller was born at Bungay, Suffolk, on 25 March 1769, the son of Thomas Miller (1731-1804), a bookseller and antiquarian. When a youth he evinced a taste for drawing, and was advised by Sir Joshua Reynolds to enter the Royal Academy as a student, but in 1787 he was placed in Hookham's publishing house.
[edit] Career as a publisher
In 1790 he commenced business on his own account in Bond Street, London, where the first book which he sent forth was his uncle Dr. Edward Miller's Select Portions of the New Version of the Psalms of David, with Music. A series of publications in large quarto, illustrating the costumes of various countries, with descriptions in English and French, brought him considerable profit. Among his other successful ventures may be mentioned Hewlett's Views of Lincolnshire, John Stoddart's Remarks upon Scotland and Forster's edition of the Arabian Nights Entertainments, illustrated by Robert Smirke. In 1804 Miller removed to a larger house in Albemarle Street, where he continued until his retirement from business in 1812, being succeeded by John Murray. During this period he was one of the most popular publishers in London. He took shares in the poems of Sir Walter Scott, and published solely Scott's edition of Dryden in 18 volumes octavo. He reprinted The Antient Drama,British Drama, Shakespeare and Francis Blomefield's History of Norfolk, 11 volumes, octavo, and Samuel Richardson's works in nineteen small octavo volumes. The Travels of Viscount Valentia, Sir Richard Colt Hoare's Giraldus Cambrensis and the same author's Ancient History of South Wiltshire, volume i., were among his most splendid undertakings. His British Gallery was notable for the excellence of the engravings. In 1826 he published two quarto volumes of Biographical Sketches of British Characters recently deceased, commencing with the Accession of George the Fourth, with a list of their Engraved Portraits. He announced, but did not print, a continuation.
[edit] A less successful venture
For the copyright of Charles James Fox's History of the Reign of James II Miller paid £4,500, hitherto the largest sum ever given for literary property. Five thousand copies were printed in demy quarto at £1.16s. by Savage, and 250 copies on royal quarto at £2.12s.6d., with fifty upon elephant size quarto at £5 by Bulmer. Miller barely cleared his expenses by the speculation.
[edit] Retirement and death
Having realised a modest competency, Miller took a farm in Hertfordshire, but after a brief experience of country life he removed to Duchess Street, Portland Place, London. He died on 25 October 1844, at Dennington, Suffolk, the residence of his son, the Rev. Stanley Miller.
[edit] Private life
In 1798, Miller married Susannah, the daughter of the Reverend Richard Chapman, by whom he had a number of children. There is a good portrait of him, engraved by E. Scriven, after a painting by Thomas Phillips R. A.
[edit] References
This article incorporates text from the Dictionary of National Biography (1885–1900), a publication now in the public domain.
