Charles Elkin Mathews
Encyclopedia
Charles Elkin MathewsCharles Elkin Mathews (1851 – 10 November 1921 was a British
publisher and bookseller who played an important role in the literary life of late 19th and early 20th century London.
Mathews' was born in Gravesend
and learned his trade in London
and Bath, before in 1884 opening his own shop in Exeter
where he published his first books, in collaboration with other local booksellers. In 1887 he returned to London and from 1892 to 1894 he worked in partnership with John Lane
, culminating in the publication of The Yellow Book in 1894.
Lane went on to form The Bodley Head
and Mathews set up on his own, publishing works by his neighbour W. B. Yeats, Lionel Johnson
, James Joyce
, Ezra Pound
and Robert Bridges
, amongst others.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
publisher and bookseller who played an important role in the literary life of late 19th and early 20th century London.
Mathews' was born in Gravesend
Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...
and learned his trade in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Bath, before in 1884 opening his own shop in Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
where he published his first books, in collaboration with other local booksellers. In 1887 he returned to London and from 1892 to 1894 he worked in partnership with John Lane
John Lane (publisher)
-Biography:Originally from Devon, where he was born into a farming family, Lane moved to London already in his teens. While working as a clerk at the Railway Clearing House, he acquired knowledge as an autodidact....
, culminating in the publication of The Yellow Book in 1894.
Lane went on to form The Bodley Head
The Bodley Head
The Bodley Head is an English publishing house, founded in 1887 and existing as an independent entity until the 1970s. The name has been used as an imprint of Random House Children's Books since 1987...
and Mathews set up on his own, publishing works by his neighbour W. B. Yeats, Lionel Johnson
Lionel Johnson
Lionel Pigot Johnson was an English poet, essayist and critic. He was born at Broadstairs, and educated at Winchester College and New College, Oxford, graduating in 1890. He became a Catholic convert in 1891. He lived a solitary life in London, struggling with alcoholism and his repressed...
, James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
, Ezra Pound
Ezra Pound
Ezra Weston Loomis Pound was an American expatriate poet and critic and a major figure in the early modernist movement in poetry...
and Robert Bridges
Robert Bridges
Robert Seymour Bridges, OM, was a British poet, and poet laureate from 1913 to 1930.-Personal and professional life:...
, amongst others.