Seymour Eaton (May 7, 1859 – March 13, 1916) was a Canadian-born American author, journalist, editor, and publisher. He founded the

Booklovers' Library Booklover's Library was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It published a monthly magazine, ''Booklovers Magazine''. The Booklovers' library had an invite-only membership and was a home library service that started in 1900. The Book Lover's ...

in 1900 which became known as the world's largest

circulating library A circulating library (also known as lending libraries and rental libraries) lent books to subscribers, and was first and foremost a business venture. The intention was to profit from lending books to the public for a fee. Overview Circulating li ...

The Tabard Inn Library The Tabard Inn Library was a circulating subscription library with numerous exchange stations (also known as sub-stations) across the United States. It was founded in March 1902 by Seymour Eaton. The library operated as a commercial lending se ...

and is credited with coining the name "

Teddy bear A teddy bear, or simply a teddy, is a stuffed toy in the form of a bear. The teddy bear was named by Morris Michtom after the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt; it was developed apparently simultaneously in the first deca ...

". He also organized The Thinkers Club. Born in the community of Epping in

Grey County Grey County is a county in the province of Ontario. The county is located in the Southwestern Ontario region, and is a part of the Georgian Triangle. At the time of the 2021 Canadian census the population of the county was 100,905. Owen Sound is ...

, Canada West, Eaton was educated in Canadian schools and taught in district schools for seven years. He became a resident of Boston in 1880, and from there went to Philadelphia in 1892. Eaton founded, in the United States and Britain, the Booklovers' and Tabard Inn libraries. For five years he was director of the

Drexel Institute Drexel University is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony Joseph Drexel, Anthony J. Drexel, a financier ...

of Philadelphia. He was for five years a daily contributor to the ''

Chicago Record The ''Chicago Record-Herald'' was a newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois from 1901 until 1914. It was the successor to the '' Chicago Morning Herald,'' the '' Chicago Times Herald'' and the ''Chicago Record''. H. H. Kohlsaat, owner of the ...

'' and founded and edited the ''Booklovers' Magazine'' until it was merged into ''

Appleton's Magazine ''Appleton's Magazine'' was an American magazine about books and literature. Founded by Seymour Eaton in 1903 as ''The Booklovers Magazine'', it was purchased by D. Appleton & Company in 1904. Its name was changed to ''Appleton's Booklovers Mag ...

''. He wrote several college textbooks, the novel: ''Dan Black, Editor and Proprietor'', and children's books ''The Roosevelt Bears'' and ''Prince Domino and Muffles'', written under the pen name Paul Piper. Eaton married Jennie V. Adair in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on January 15, 1884. They had three sons: Frank, Jack, and Seymour Jr. Eaton died at his home in

Lansdowne, Pennsylvania Lansdowne is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, located southwest of Center City, Philadelphia, Center City Philadelphia. It was named for the Marquess of Lansdowne. As of the 2010 United States ...

, aged 56. Upon his death, the ''Philadelphia Evening Ledger'' stated that "he made it interesting to read and exciting to think" and credited him with cultivating in Americans the graces of civilization, which they were otherwise too busy to acquire on their own.

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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eaton, Seymour 1859 births 1916 deaths American male writers People from Grey County American children's writers American editors Writers from Philadelphia Canadian emigrants to the United States