Cadell & Davies Records, 1697-1858

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Summary

Creators:
Cadell & Davies.
Abstract:
This collection consists of manuscripts, correspondence and records of the London publishing firm of Cadell & Davies. Though the collection lacks the more well-known authors published by Cadell & Davies, it is useful for studying the world of British publishing in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and is a rich resource for studying the relationship between an author and a publisher, engraver, or printer.
Extent:
622 pieces in 11 boxes
Language:
English.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of manuscripts, correspondence and records (accounts, bills, estimates, receipts, orders to pay and promissory notes) of the London publishing firm of Cadell & Davies.

The papers consist of the following series:

1. Manuscripts (Box 1) are arranged alphabetically by author and title. The manuscripts include legal opinions and statements concerning various aspects of publishing including copyright, literary property and pirated editions of published works. This series includes manuscripts by Cadell & Davies, Sir Ilay Campbell, Charles Dunster, and John Home.

2. Correspondence (Boxes 1-10) is arranged alphabetically by author. This series consists of business correspondence and records. There is a small number of personal letters and these tend to be from the Autograph Volumes. There is one box of Cadell & Davies correspondence with their various authors, suppliers and printers; most of these letters are draft copies, though some are signed. This series also includes letters by James Stanier Clarke, William Dickinson, Nathan Drake, William Gilpin, William Parr Greswell, John Home, Daniel Lysons, John Marsh, Edward Nares, William Pengree Sherlock, and Sharon Turner.

3. Records (Box 11) are arranged alphabetically by author or company. This series includes accounts, bills, estimates, receipts, orders to pay and promissory notes. Many of the records deal with the authors, printers, and engravers and publication details of the works mentioned in Manuscripts and Correspondence.

Note to Readers and Strengths of the collection:

A note about the material in this collection. The majority of the correspondence is addressed to or concerning Cadell & Davies. While the firm did publish the likes of Blackstone, Fielding and Johnson, unfortunately, the correspondents in this collection would be considered “lesser literary lights of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.” As noted by the original cataloger in 1938, L. Herman Smith, “the most important writers” have been “skimmed” from the correspondence at some point in the past.

The material from the two volumes of “Autograph Correspondence of Literary Men” was acquired by the same person who collected the Cadell & Davies correspondence. These “Autograph” letters are written by “minor literary figures” of the period and are addressed to “booksellers and antiquarians of the period,” which appear to have been the reason for collecting these letters.

As noted by Smith in 1938, the mysterious person who formed the original Cadell & Davies collection remains unidentified, and only the initials “J.W.” appear on an autograph note in one of the volumes. The collector was in the habit of writing explanatory notes in pencil, below many of the letters; though it is best to verify the explanatory notes as some of the information has proven to be incorrect.

Though the collection lacks the more well-known authors published by Cadell & Davies, it is a very useful collection for those researchers studying the world of British publishing in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. But, most importantly, it is also a very rich resource for studying the relationship between an author and a publisher, engraver, or printer.

Biographical / historical:

In 1767, upon the retirement of Andrew Miller, Thomas Cadell, 1742-1802, succeeded to the bookselling and publishing business. Cadell became one of the foremost publishers of his time before his retirement in 1793. At this time he made over the business to his son, Thomas Cadell, 1773-1836, and his apprentice and assistant, William Davies, d. 1820; Cadell and Davies ran the business together until Davies’ death, and Cadell carried on until his own death in 1836. Beginning with Andrew Miller, and continuing with Cadell & Davies this publishing house was associated with William Blackstone, Henry Fielding, Edward Gibbon, David Hume, Samuel Johnson and Hannah More and many other authors of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from Forest H. Sweet, Dec. 18, 1934 and purchased from Sotheby's (London), Dec. 17, 2008.
Processing information:

1. With the acquisition of a new group of Cadell & Davies material, it was decided to recatalog the entire collection, incorporating the new material and the original Cadell & Davies Collection, into the Records of Cadell & Davies.

Also, rather than splitting the collection into chronological and alphabetical sections, as it was originally organized, it was decided to catalog the entire collection alphabetically. The material originally bound in the volumes entitled, “Autograph Correspondence of Literary Men,” is now noted on the folders as “Removed from Autograph Correspondence Volumes.” The material purchased in the Sotheby’s sale is noted: “Sotheby’s London, Dec. 15, 2008, Lot #3.” All other folders contain material from the original Cadell & Davies correspondence volumes purchased in 1934, with no notation on the front of the folders.

2. In the recataloging of the collection, the original blue folders were discarded and new buff folders were used; the collection has been renumbered with new “CD” call numbers and all the names have been cataloged using the current standard authorized forms.

3. At some point, before the letters were obtained by the Huntington Library, the red wax seals were cut out of many of the letters; in many cases, this caused loss of text. This loss is noted on the front of the folders only if there was significant loss of text.

4. The entire collection deals with authors, publishers and publishing; it was decided, as these subjects were so pervasive, these would not be noted as subjects on the individual folders.

5. Many of the letters addressed to Cadell & Davies are followed by autograph draft replies or autograph notes, these replies and notes are noted on the front of the folders and in the Finding Aid. Similarly, many of the letters are addressed to “Cadell & Davies” but written to either Thomas Cadell or William Davies. These letters were cataloged with Cadell & Davies as the addressee but either Thomas Cadell or William Davies were noted as Added Entries on the folders and in the Finding Aid.

Arrangement:

Organized in the following manner: 1. Manuscripts (Box 1); 2. Correspondence (Boxes 1-10); Records (Box 11); arranged alphabetically.

Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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