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[MUSIC PLAYING] DAVID MCCLAY: Hello. I'm David McClay. I had the privilege of being the John Murray Archive curator

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at the National Labour of Scotland in Edinburgh for 10 years. When I think of the Murrays and their long history, it's here I think of, 50 Albemarle Street, which

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for 200 years has been the home of the Murrays, and where many of the stories are best told. The Murrays were remarkable. They established a seven-generation dynasty,

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which for 234 years was at the pinnacle of British publishing. Well, the book trade in 18th century Britain, particularly in London, was quite a boisterous one. When John McMurray came from Edinburgh as a retired Marine,

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he settled in rather well, partly because he kept his shop well stocked with drink. And there authors, publishers, and potential customers would enjoy the drink and trades and stories,

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and also buy lottery tickets, partridges, and medicines of rather dubious efficiency. And there Murray established what would become one of the great publishing dynasties.

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When John McMurray, the first Murray of the publishing dynasty, established his business, he took over an existing one, a rather modest bookseller and publishing business.

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And he grew it slowly, year after year, until eventually he was well established. Now Murray, when he was venturing upon this publishing trade, knew nothing, but he thought

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he could make a fortune. He wrote to one friend, a potential partner in the business, that many blockheads were making fortunes in the trade and he did not see why he shouldn't

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succeed as well as they. And indeed, he made a modest living from the publishing but no great fortune. John Murray I established the business.

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But it was his son, John Murray II, who really transformed it, not just into a more profitable business, but also a more gentlemanly one. Key to this was moving from the rather seedy

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Fleet Street, where the business had been established, to the west end of London and Albemarle Street, these rooms here, where he established not just a thriving publishing business, but also a social and literary one as well.

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Others in the trade recognised this, writing that they had made it more of a business of gentlemen than of the trade. And here Murray switches around the previous paradigm,

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that of a tradesman publisher bringing works to the public. Rather now they were patrons of literature, the centre nexus of this publishing and literary empire. The John Murray Publishing Company really

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succeeded because each of the individual Murrays was not just a figurehead, but the key driver behind the business, and they pursued their own interests. John Murray II, well, he enjoyed poetry.

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He published the works of Byron, Walter Scott, James Hogg, and many of the other leading poets of the day. He also established the "Quarterly Review," the great organ of the company.

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This established not only their credentials in publishing great books, but reviewing them as well, and across a whole range of politics, science, and literature.

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This, along with other publishing themes, really established Murray as an establishment publisher, a successful publisher to the admiralty, producing works of travel and exploration,

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as well as works of politics and science as well. The "Quarterly Review" really was the central spine of the Murray publishing. Not only did they, more often than not,

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favourably review their own authors, but they were also able to criticise other authors published by other houses. And this really established them, not just as

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the arbiters of taste and decency and politics, but helped establish them as a well-known name. The "Quarterly Review" outsold most publications, and perhaps 10,000 or 20,000 copies

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of the "Quarterly Review" could be sold four times a year. Most books perhaps sold only 500 or 1,000. People were much more likely to read the review of a book than the book itself.

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Whilst John Murray II had an enthusiasm for poetry, it was one his son did not share. He was much happier reading about science and works of travel.

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So what did he do? Well, he established "Murray's Handbooks for Travellers," handy guides for people travelling abroad, a new Victorian sensation.

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He also enjoyed science, so he published the great scientists of his day, Charles Lyell, Charles Darwin, geologists, chemists, and inventors. This was the company he preferred to keep.

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One of John Murray III's most famous authors was Charles Darwin, famous, of course, for his great work, "On the Origin of Species." This was a rather torturous book for Darwin to publish.

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He had agonised for years over whether or not he should publish such a controversial work. But thanks to Murray, they saw the book through to publication and great fame, indeed infamy, stoked,

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no doubt, by the fact that Murray in his "Quarterly Review" published a savage review. Murray's success was because he was a good publisher. A good publisher not only identifies an important author

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or a work, but it knows how to advertise it and market it as well. Sometimes this was through the cult of the personality of the authors.

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People liked Darwin or Byron and were well-known public figures and this was often fueled by Murray as publicity machine. And indeed, these very portraits on the walls were part of that,

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both for the people who visited Albemarle Street to visit Murray, but later as the 19th century progressed in engravings, which would accompany the books and newspaper reports of the famous authors.

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Murray also used his own publishing series to advertise his works. To be reviewed in the "Quarterly Review" was successful, but to be advertised there as well doubly so.

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One of the great successes of Murray's books was that they were often beautifully illustrated. From the early 20th century there were hand-painted drawings and engravings

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of polar exploration. Afterwards David Livingston's books would be lavishly illustrated with the lions and wildlife and slavery and accompanied with detailed maps.

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Producing illustrated books were not always easy. There was great expense involved. Engravers and artists had to be coordinated. And of course, authors would have

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quite demanding views of how the illustrations should look. One of the worst, from Murray's perspective was David Livingstone, who frequently complained about the accuracy of the various African scenes,

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which these artists had been set to. For example, his attack by a lion he thought absolutely abominable. Byron and Murray first came together

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to publish his first great narrative poem, "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage." It was such a success that Byron was said to have woke to find himself famous,

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but Murray to wake and find himself a gentleman, for he was now publishing a lord's poetry, the most famous poet of his day. It was a sensation, not just in the works

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which was being produced, but the income that it was bringing both to author and publisher. It was not, however, an easy relationship. It was one fraught with his lordship's very demanding way

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in which he thought his portrait, increasingly scandalous portrait, should be published. And his own personal life added a lot of difficulty to this rather conservative publisher.

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However, they managed to stay together through thick and thin, partly because Byron died shortly after they had had a split. And Murray very astutely bought up all of his copyrights

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and thereafter became known as the publisher of Byron, both in life and posthumously. And to do so they needed to gather together not just his copyrights, but his archives,

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for the life and letters were just as important as the lord's poetry. Here in Albemarle Street, the greatest collection of Byron manuscripts was accumulated over the years.

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And it provided quite a useful source of income for the Murrays, reissuing his work, supplemented with a newfound poem or letter. Although the Murrays were to become

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notable for both publishing Byron and collecting his archives, they were also responsible for perhaps one of the most infamous literary crimes, the burning of Byron's

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manuscripts here in this room, and indeed, here in this fireplace. A small group gathered, led by Murray, and they decided that the memoirs of Byron

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were so scandalous that they had to be burnt. They went up in flames, but not Murray's association with Byron, for now he was able to publish what many people thought might have been the memoirs

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and a lucrative industry in the various variations of what Byron's private life might have contained then ensued. Well, the Murray Archive really is the most insightful collection to tell us about 19th century British society and all

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its various literary and social ways. We have not just a mix of genres, but also a mix of personalities and people as well. Very rarely does an author write to his publisher

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only about publishing matters. More often than not there's gossip there as well. There's other literary discussions, be it with fellow Murray authors or rivals

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and from other publishing houses. You get an insight not just into a particular book or a particular person, but a whole network of both literary and social life in 19th century Britain.

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The Murray's being active in their own business was very much an association between themselves and the authors. And people prided themselves on being a Murray author.

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It might not necessarily be the biggest copyright payment or share of the profits being published by Murray, but it was a prestige there, an acceptance that you were part of the literary elite,

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and the Murray's very much traded on that. But they also sacrificed as well. Some authors perhaps had an unprofitable book. It didn't mean you were dropped by the Murrays.

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Rather you were kept on and supported, and perhaps the next book with turn a profit. And if an author needed a loan, Murray was there to step in. Murray was more than just a publisher.

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He was a friend to the authors too. These rooms are where Murray authors, critics, and readers came together. It didn't matter what your experience was

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or what your interest was, this was the melting pot for all the different types of personalities, which crossed and criss-crossed London. Here you could find a cookery writer, and a children's

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writer, along with a self-help writer, a scientist, a politician, each of them with the one common link, Murray, Murray and his other authors. And here you could debate and discuss, learn from each other.

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You can imagine being Murray author, coming to these rooms. You're stepping in the footsteps of so many famous authors who have come here before. It might be Jane Austen.

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It might be Lord Byron or Walter Scott. Or it might be one of the travellers, Livingston perhaps, or Darwin. With these wonderful premises, Murray was able to entertain.

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And people enjoyed coming here, of course, for the food and the drink which was supplied, but far more for the nourishment of the intellect. For here you could meet authors of outstanding ability but also

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people yet to make their way in the world who would contribute just as actively to the conversations. So famous were these meetings, they became known as Murray's 4 o'clock friends,

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the appointed hour where it would be free for anyone to pop in and rub shoulders with some of the great literary names of the day. And Murray was there hosting all, coordinating all,

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and making sure that everyone had a good time. Murray's network of friends who would gather here on these premises were very useful, for they would introduce each other's contacts to Murray

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and recommend different authors. For example, Sir Charles Lyell, the great geologist, recommended that his friend Charles Darwin have his works published by Murray.

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Many people met here at Albemarle Street, some by accident, some by design. It was John Murray II who engineered the meeting between the two most famous authors of the day, Lord

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Byron and Sir Walter Scott. It was here in this very room that they met for the first time, and thereafter forged a long and enduring friendship and respect

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for each other. Murray published works from authors from throughout the world. This included many Americans, Washington Irving

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being one of the first and most notable ones. His hugely successful short stories and histories establish the pattern of successful American authors being read, not just in America, but in England too.

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Herman Melville took his inspiration and he too became a Murray author. Murray not only published books that went around the world, but he brought authors from around the world

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to Albemarle Street. The story of the Murrays, as told through the Murray archive, isn't just one of literature, but of course, of finance as well.

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Books needed to sell for Murray to continue, and authors often were reliant on the income which came. The financial ledgers, almost entirely complete throughout their full history, really

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tell us so much more than just about the profits. Here we have all the different stages of production. How much was the illustrator paid? How much was the editor paid?

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Did the copies of the books need to be reduced in price to shift them? Did they spend a lot on advertising? You get a very complex and detailed story,

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which really comes alive through the finance, and through the financial records. These then marry up very nicely with the letters and the other items in the archive

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to tell a fuller story of the publishing and the publishing world. Amongst the authors published by John Murray II was one Jane Austen, famous now, of course,

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as one of the great writers in the English language, but at her time struggling, really, to become successful. But she knew that any success she would have would come by being published by Murray,

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and she was desperate to be published by him, though she'd escaped him initially as a rogue, of course, although a civil one. Some authors are represented by hundreds, or indeed,

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thousands of letters, others more modestly with just a few. But these can still give you a great insight. And of course, there's also the financial records, which for every author detail the costs of production

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and the profits or losses associated with their work. Jane Austen's financial records are very interesting. You might assume from one of the greatest writers of the English language that she had huge success.

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Actually, she had rather modest success, and she only managed to sell her books because they were dramatically discounted by Murray to sell them off.

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One of Jane Austen's fans was the Prince Regent, who had become George IV. Unfortunately, he was a rather odious figure and Jane Austen rather detested them.

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But Murray prevailed upon her to allow her books to be dedicated to him to boost the sales. There's thousands of publishing stories in the archive. How can you pick a favourite one?

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Well, there's always something new to discover, of course, but there are a few favourites. And I think the Travellers, in particular, tend to stand out amongst the correspondence.

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You have Isabella Bird, the intrepid lady traveller who went around the world, supposedly for her ill health, but she managed to climb volcanoes, travel the length of the Yangtze River, ride yaks in Tibet.

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Travel certainly helped her and dispelled any medical complaints she had. Well, imagine Murray's delight when a 116-page letter arrived via various means of getting back

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to London. Or David Livingston when he was organising his great work "Missionary Travels" to be published, ranting and raving, complaining about his publisher,

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his artists, the editors. Well, this very forthright character, of course, was never going to be easy to deal with. But all of these, there's a humanity and respect

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for what Murray was doing. Even if there was an immediate tension between author and publisher, all knew that they were working together for the greater good, to bring out

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a book that could both be proud of, and hopefully, would sell. Some authors perhaps aren't his best known today, but were hugely famous in their own day. Take Samuel Smiles, for example.

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Published on the same day as Darwin's "Origin of Species" his "Self-Help" out sold it, not just over his lifetime, but within a month. Tens of thousands of copies of "Self-Help"

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and the subsequent books in the same style made Smiles probably the best-selling author of Murray of that period, forgotten perhaps today, but no less important because of that. Of course, there's many famous names

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to be found in the Murray archive, but there's also the forgotten authors as well. Their stories can be just as interesting, as can the other people associated with the publishing

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collection. You have readers, both professional readers by Murray. My favourite one is Whitwell Elwin. This reverend was sent many manuscripts

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to review for Murray, and he often sent very cursive complaints about the poor quality of the manuscripts he was being sent. These lively letters are amongst my very favourites.

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The importance of the John Murray Archive was recognised by UNESCO when it was inscribed in their Memory of the World Register. Is this one of the greatest archives?

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Perhaps so. Not only is there well-known stories which can be retold through the archives, but there's hundreds, perhaps thousands, of untold stories.

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This really is a researcher's gold mine waiting to be rediscovered. Perhaps you will be the first person to read that letter since it was penned

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over 100 or 150 years ago. Different stories from known and unknown people. Claims that this is the greatest archive can be easily substantiated.

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What other family could bring together such a diversity of characters over such a wide period of time? You have here people who are famous in literature,

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famous in science, famous in politics, famous in every human endeavour. No single family, no single company, apart from the Murrays, apart from publishing,

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could possibly bring together such a diversity of interesting characters. Of course, the archive tells the story of many famous authors. Sometimes it tells the story of the works,

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which were rejected by Murray. But more often than not, it tells the story of authors who were entirely rejected by Murray, including some of the most famous names in literature.

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Mary Shelley, for example, or William Wordsworth, struggled and failed to get published by Murray. The key to unlocking archives, of course, is understanding the text, and HTR allows us to do that.

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It really is a magnifying glass and a map to the archive. Here now you can search through these millions of words to discover the part which is going to be most interesting and relevant to you.

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We have a story of a remarkable publishing house, but also of a remarkable city. London through the late 18th and the 19th century really was at the world's heart, both in terms of exploration,

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of politics, of literature, and this story really focuses in here, in this place, in this room, with the Murray authors who really set our standards for modern literature and civilization.