| Jacob Tonson a bookseller and printer took advantage
of this act to purchase the rights to Shakespeare as we will see later..
He became known as the Father of Modern Publishing. He was unmarried but
he enrolled his nephew as partner. Unfortunately he had the same name –
very confusing. So they became known as Jacob Tonson the Elder and the Younger.
Then the younger also had a son, also called Jacob, who then became involved
in the business. Tonson made his name by publishing Dryden. Charlecote has Tonson’s Virgil which was translated by Dryden and published by Tonson. We also have his Oedipus and a Spanish Friar both published in a 20 volume set “Bell’s Theatre” which featured 140 plays. |
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