Category:John Murray I

English: John Murray (1737-1793), born John McMurray and also known as John Murray I, British bookseller and publisher of Scottish origin, first of the seven-generation Murray family dynasty of book publishers that owned and managed the John Murray Publishing house until 2002. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, McMurray as a Royal Marines officer served during the Seven Years War. In 1768 he moved to London, changed his last name to Murray and acquired for £400 the bookselling business of William Sandby (c.1718-1799) at 32 Fleet Street, London. After the House of Lords ruled in 1774 against the perpetual copyright, his book business picked up and over 1,000 titles were published during his lifetime, many of them reprints. He bequested the company to his son by his second marriage, John Samuel Murray (1778-1843).