The Walter Scott Publishing Company: A Bibliography

In 1882, Walter Scott, a successful businessman with little formal education, found himself the surprised owner of a nearly bankrupt publishing company. Scott had agreed to act as mortgagor for the growing Tyne Publishing Company, but it soon became apparent that Tyne's programme of expansion was too ambitious - the company was hopelessly overcommitted. Scott appointed David Gordon, a dynamic Scotsman, as manager, and the Walter Scott Publishing House was born. Gordon began to improve the list by adding series: the Canterbury Poets Series, the Camelot Classics Series, the Great Writers Series, and the Contemporary Science Series. The company later published Tolstoy and Ibsen translations, as well as works by Bernard Shaw, Robert Blatchford and George Moore. "The Walter Scott Publishing Company: A Bibliography" lists the total output of the firm, from its founding until its liquidation in 1931.