Henry Kernot (October 20, 1806 – October 21, 1874) was an English-born American bookseller, author, cataloguer, and publisher. He authored ''Bibliotheca Diabolica'', an

annotated bibliography An annotated bibliography is a bibliography Bibliography (from and ), as a discipline, is traditionally the academic study of books as physical, cultural objects; in this sense, it is also known as bibliology (from ). English author and bi ...

of books about the

devil A devil is the mythical personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conce ...

, in 1874.

Life and career

Kernot was born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

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 ...

, to a French

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

family, on October 20, 1806. He began his career as a bookseller in Europe, working at shops in

Soho SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...

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, and

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, before moving to the United States in 1836. Initially working at a small bookstore, he quickly became clerk and editor at Wiley and Putnam. Kernot opened his own bookstore in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1846. He later worked at D. Appleton & Company before joining Scribner, Welford and Armstrong in 1868, where he worked until his death. Over the course of his career, Kernot wrote or acted as publisher for several books and periodicals. Beginning in 1850, he published

Donald Grant Mitchell Donald Grant Mitchell (April 12, 1822December 15, 1908) was an American essayist and novelist who usually wrote under the pen name Ik Marvel. Biography Mitchell, the grandson of politician and jurist Stephen Mix Mitchell, was born in Norwich, C ...

's periodical ''Lorgnette.'' In 1851, he published George Clayton Jr.'s ''Angelology: Remarks and Reflections''. Also in 1851, he published a satirical book entitled ''The New Dido''. In 1874, Kernot compiled an annotated bibliography of books about the devil entitled ''Bibliotheca Diabolica.'' Despite ostensibly being a catalog for Scribner, Welford and Armstrong, the book was positively received. A brief review in ''

The Journal of Speculative Philosophy The ''Journal of Speculative Philosophy'' is an academic journal that examines basic philosophical questions, the interaction between Continental and American philosophy, and the relevance of historical philosophers to contemporary thinkers. Th ...

'' described it as "the most complete and valuable one ever published." His catalogue of books on the devil was illustrated with historical images and was divided into a section of serious depictions and satirical. According to a review of it, Kernot was well known among bibliophiles "for the extent and accuracy of his knowledge on books." He died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

on October 21, 1874. He was buried at Mission Chapel in New York. Some of his correspondence is held by the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...

Bibliography

As publisher

*''Lorgnette'', a society pamphlet by

As writer/editor

*''Catalogue of English, French and American Books'', a general annotated bibliography *''Bibliotheca Diabolica'', a list of books about the devil

References

1806 births 1874 deaths 19th-century English male writers English people of French descent English emigrants to the United States Deaths from pneumonia in New York (state) American publishers (people) {{US-writer-stub