Alexander Donaldson (bookseller) facts for kids

Alexander Donaldson (1727 – 11 March 1794) was a Scottish bookseller, publisher, and printer. He was the person who started the weekly newspaper, the Edinburgh Advertiser. Donaldson also became famous for selling cheap copies of books. He did this even after their copyright had ended, which was a new idea at the time.

Early Life and Beginnings

Alexander Donaldson was the son of Dr James Donaldson, who made textiles and was the Treasurer of Edinburgh. His mother was Elizabeth Weir. Alexander had an older brother named John. His grandfather, Capt. James Donaldson, was also a publisher. Alexander inherited about £10,000 from his father. This was a lot of money back then!

In 1748, Alexander opened his first bookshop in Edinburgh. A couple of years later, in 1750, he became a "Burgess and Guild Brother" of Edinburgh. This special title gave him certain rights, like his father had. He married Anna Marshall, a merchant's daughter, in 1751. She might have brought a good amount of money into the marriage too.

Donaldson's Career

With his money, Donaldson became a junior partner with Alexander Kincaid from 1751 to 1758. Together, they published important books. These included works by famous thinkers like Dr. Francis Home and Henry Home. In 1752, their company was the only one to publish David Hume's Political Discourses. After Donaldson left Kincaid, he mostly stopped working on new books from the Scottish Enlightenment.

Donaldson later joined another printing company from 1755 to 1759. From 1760 to 1765, he worked with John Reid. In 1764, they started printing and publishing the Edinburgh Advertiser. This was a newspaper that came out twice a week. Donaldson kept at least two bookshops open while publishing the newspaper. One was in Edinburgh, and another was in London.

By 1774, after ten years of printing the Edinburgh Advertiser, Donaldson gave the newspaper to his 22-year-old son, James.

The Battle of the Booksellers

Donaldson was well-known for selling "cheap reprints" of books. These were books whose copyright was no longer protected by the Statute of Anne. This was a time called the "Battle of the Booksellers". London booksellers were not happy with Donaldson's ideas about copyright. They worried they would lose a lot of money because books printed cheaply in Edinburgh were being sold in London.

The English poet Samuel Johnson did not like Donaldson. He said Donaldson was "a fellow who takes advantage of the law to injure his brethren." Even though Donaldson made a lot of money, he also spent a lot on legal battles.

Important Lawsuits

Donaldson was involved in many lawsuits. These included cases like Osborne v Donaldson (1765) and Millar v Donaldson (1765). In 1773, London booksellers sued Donaldson and others for copyright problems.

One of the most important cases was Donaldson v Beckett (1774). In this case, Alexander Donaldson and his brother John were the ones appealing the decision. The case went all the way to the British House of Lords. The ruling helped decide that copyright could not last forever. It set a limit on how long a copyright could protect a book.

James Boswell, who is famous for writing about Samuel Johnson, was Donaldson's lawyer in at least three of these lawsuits. Boswell called Donaldson "the prodigious Vendor of Literature" and the "Great Donaldson." Donaldson also published some of Boswell's own writings.

Personal Life

Alexander Donaldson retired in 1789. He bought Broughton Hall, a large house near Edinburgh. He died there in 1794. He left behind a large fortune, worth about £100,000. He is buried in Greyfriars Churchyard.

His son, James (1751–1830), took over the family business in Edinburgh. James also died at Broughton Hall. After his death, James left money to create Donaldson's Hospital, a school for deaf children.

Images for kids

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  Frontispiece of James Thomson's The Seasons, published by Alexander Donaldson

See Also

• Donaldson v Beckett
• Statute of Anne