‘The Green and the Gold’: Series Publishing in Nineteenth-Century Ireland

Abstract

It has become commonplace to begin any examination of the publishing industry in nineteenth-century Ireland with a lament for the lost glories of the eighteenth century. The fact is that the Act of Union in 1800 had both physical and psychological effects on the country. First, the copyright laws operating in England up to that time were applied to Ireland as well, specifically from 1802 onwards. Ireland had been very successful in the reprint business at the end of the eighteenth century. English books were imported to Ireland, the sheets reprinted and then sent back for sale at reduced prices to English buyers. From 1802 this was no longer (legally) possible. Second, the loss of the Irish Parliament and Dublin as the seat of government meant a drastic reduction in the amount of jobbing work available. Finally, as many Irish politicians and peers decamped for London, there was a consequent decline in the domestic market for high quality books and government publications. The ultimate result was the decimation of many Irish firms and an 80 per cent decrease in production.¹