George Robertson (14 April 186027 August 1933) was an English-born

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n bookseller and publisher, who alongside partner and Scotsman David Angus co-founded the publishing division of

Angus & Robertson Angus & Robertson (A&R) is a major Australian bookseller, publisher and printer. As book publishers, A&R has contributed substantially to the promotion and development of Australian literature.Alison, Jennifer (2001). "Publishers and editors: A ...

Biography

Robertson, the son of the Rev. John Robertson, was born at

Halstead Halstead is a town and civil parish in the Braintree District of Essex, England. Its population of 11,906 in 2011 Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. He was educated at the Southwestern Academy,

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

and trained as a bookseller with James Maclehose, bookseller to the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

. He emigrated to

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

as a young man, and, two years later (in 1882), he relocated to

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, where he found employment at the local branch of George Robertson and Company, booksellers of Melbourne. He was not related to the founder of that firm. In January 1886 he joined David MacKenzie Angus in partnership, at first in

Market Street, Sydney Market Street is a street in the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia. It runs from Sussex Street near Darling Harbour in the west, to Elizabeth Street at St James railway station in the east. Market Street is loca ...

and later, in

Castlereagh Street, Sydney Castlereagh Street is a major street located in the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. The street runs north-to-south, in a one way direction only. Description Castlereagh Street's northern terminus is at the junc ...

. After Angus' death in 1900 Robertson continued in partnership with Frederick Wymark and Richard Thomson who had acquired Angus' share of the business, until in 1907 the partnership was converted into a public company and continues under the name of Angus & Robertson Ltd. As a bookseller Robertson was always interested in buying "books and other rare items relating to Australia and adjacent regions". He encouraged the wealthy Sydney book collector

David Scott Mitchell David Scott Mitchell (19 March 1836 – 24 July 1907) was a collector of Australian books, founder and benefactor of the Mitchell Library (Australia), Mitchell Library, at the State Library of New South Wales, Sydney.G. D. Richardson,Mitchell, ...

to collect early Australian books and manuscripts. Mitchell's formation of his unmatched collection, which he later bequeathed to the state of New South Wales, was "largely indebted to the efforts of booksellers who knew Australiana, including George Robertson, Fred W. Wymark,

William Dymock William Dymock (11 May 1861 – 5 October 1900) was an Australian bookseller and publisher. He was the "first native-born Australian to launch and maintain a successful bookselling venture".''The Australian Companion to Australian Literature'', ...

and James R. Tyrrell". Around 1895 the publishing side of the business began to be developed and many successful volumes were launched. Among the earlier authors were

Henry Lawson Henry Archibald Hertzberg Lawson (17 June 1867 – 2 September 1922) was an Australian writer and bush poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period ...

Banjo Paterson Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson, (17 February 18645 February 1941) was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author, widely considered one of the greatest writers of Australia's colonial period. Born in rural New South Wales, Paterson worke ...

and

Victor Daley Victor James William Patrick Daley (5 September 1858 – 29 December 1905) was an Australian poet. Daley serves chiefly as an example of the Irish Literary Revival, Celtic Twilight in Australian verse. He also serves as a lyrical altern ...

. Robertson could recognise quickly a promising author and was willing to take considerable risks in backing his judgment. During the last 30 years of his life the number of volumes he published exceeded the total number brought out in the same period by all the other publishers in Australia. '' The Australian Encyclopaedia'', published in two volumes in 1926, is one of the most important books published in Australia. In 1929 he founded the Halstead Press, which for 40 years would be "Australia's leading book printer". In recognition to Robertson's contribution to publishing, the Australian Publishers Association has established the George Robertson Award, for individuals who have 30+ years' service to publishing and its success.Nomination criteria for the George Robertson Award widened
publishers.asn.au. Retrieved 9 April 2021. He was married twice, first to Elizabeth Stewart Bruce in 1881, and, in 1910, to Eva Adeline Ducat. He died at the age of 73 and was survived by his second wife and his children (three daughters and a son) from his first marriage.

Biography

See also

References

Further reading