Geography, Travel and Publishing in Mid-Victorian Britain
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Geography, Travel and Publishing in Mid-Victorian Britain Louise Christine Henderson PhD Department of Geography Royal Holloway, University of London 2012 Declaration of Originality I, Louise Christine Henderson, hereby declare that this thesis and the work presented in it is entirely my own. Where I have consulted the work of others this is always clearly stated. Signed: /3/3/lP<2- Abstract This thesis examines geographical publishing in mid-Victorian Britain. Focusing specifically on literatures of travel and exploration, it considers the role of publishers and the publishing industry more widely in shaping the geographical understandings of a range of mid-Victorian readers. Through a detailed examination of the production, circulation and reception of four publishing projects, this thesis provides insights into the challenges and opportunities associated with different forms of publishing whilst also drawing attention to the broader print culture which was implicated in bringing knowledge of these works (and the geographies within them) to various reading publics. The first chapter offers a critical overview of recent work by historical geographers and historians of science concerning print culture, publishing and scientific knowledge. It also outlines the theoretical framework adopted within this thesis which emphasises the importance of considering production, circulation and reception simultaneously. The second chapter develops this discussion further by providing a rationale for a study of travel and exploration publishing specifically. It also explores the methodological implications of deploying an approach which simultaneously considers how particular works of geography were produced, replicated and consumed in the mid-Victorian period. Chapters 3-6 offer detailed case studies of particular publishing projects. Chapter 3 examines David Livingstone’s Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa (John Murray, 1857). Chapter 4 explores Francis Gabon’s The Art o f Travel or, Shifts and Contrivances Available in Wild Countries (John Murray, 1855). Chapters 5 and 6 focus on multi-authored works. Chapter five considers the series Vacation Tourists and Notes o f Travel (Macmillan and Co., 1861-1864). Chapter 6 investigates the periodical Geographical Magazine (Trtibner, 1874-1878). Through these case studies, as the concluding chapter 7 highlights, this thesis offers new insights into the way that print figured in shaping particular geographical imaginations during the nineteenth century. 3 Acknowledgements In the chapters that follow I discuss the collaborative nature of authorship. The research process is equally collaborative and it is with sincere gratitude that I acknowledge all those who have supported me in the preparation of this thesis. I am grateful to the ESRC for funding this research (Award PTA-031-2006-00019). I would also like to thank the many archivists and librarians who helped me navigate a path through an overwhelming amount of research material. In particular, I’d like to acknowledge the assistance of staff at the Alpine Club, British Library, Cambridge University Library, Huntington Library, National Library of Scotland, Royal Geographical Society, UCL Special Collections and University of Reading Special Collections Thank you also to David Gaylard and Bill Willett for sharing their knowledge of George Philip and Son and to Lowri Jones for insights into the RGS Collections. I have benefited from being part of a thriving research community in the Department of Geography at Royal Holloway and my thanks go to my advisor David Lambert and members of Landscape Surgery, past and present, for their invaluable advice. Special thanks must go to Felix Driver whose expertise, enthusiasm and encouragement have been an inspiration. I could not have asked for any more in a supervisor. Many colleagues have become great friends and I would like to thank Hilary Geoghegan, Kimberley Peters, Inga Sevastjanova, Daniel Whittall and Tara Woodyer for sharing their good humour over the last four years. I am particularly indebted to Hilary who has read work-in-progress throughout and shared many pearls of wisdom, particularly in the final stages of this project and to Kim, for always being on hand to lend an ear or share a laugh. To Pat, who has shared this journey with me and supported me all the way, thank you for waiting. Finally to my family, especially my parents, thank you for your ongoing support and patience. This thesis is for you. 4 Contents Abstract...................................................................................................................3 Acknowledgements.................................................................................................4 Contents ..................................................................................................................5 Figures.....................................................................................................................7 1. Historical Geographies of Science, Publishing and Print Culture ................8 1.1 Scientific Knowledge and the History of the Book .................................... 9 1.2 Nineteenth-Century Science and Publishing: Victorian Sensation.............22 1.3 Historical Geographies of the Book...........................................................32 1.4 Thesis Framework and Structure ...............................................................41 2. Contexts, Methods and Sources.....................................................................46 2.1 Context: Mid-Victorian Geographical Publishing.....................................48 2.2 Methodology: Case Studies of Travel and Exploration Publishing..........65 2.3 Case Studies: Selection and Rationale......................................................74 2.4 Sources: Reconstructing Publishing Histories ..........................................80 2.5 Electronic Resources.................................................................................94 3. Circulation and Reception: Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa................................................................................................... 106 3.1 From the Field to the Publishing House: Authorship as Collaboration.... 109 3.2 Missionary Travels in Britain: Challenges to Livingstone’s Authority.... 115 3.3 Missionary Travels in America: Battling ‘Pirates’ Abroad......................119 3.4 Missionary Travels in Europe: Reserving the Right of Translation.........127 3.5 Reviewing Missionary Travels................................................................. 136 4. Instructions for Travellers from Travellers: The Art of Travel............... 161 4.1 The Art o f Travel: a manual for ‘all who have to rough it’ ....................163 4.2 The Royal Geographical Society and the Art of Exploration..................166 4.3 Model Soldiers: the Art of Campaigning................................................. 180 4.4 The Art o f Travel and John Murray’s Handbook Series......................... 189 5. Serialising Travel: Vacation Tourists and Notes o f Travel.........................208 5.1 The Concept and Contexts behind Vacation Tourists...............................210 5.2 Serial Collaborations: Challenges and Opportunities...............................219 5.3 Advertising and Circulation.....................................................................228 5.4 Reviewing Vacation Tourists...................................................................236 5 6. ‘Popularising’ Travel and Exploration: From Our Ocean Highways to the Geographical Magazine in the 1870s................................................ 253 6.1 From Our Ocean Highways to the Geographical Magazine .................. 255 6.2 Publishing Travel Periodically.................................................................266 6.3 An Ambivalent Response: The RGS and Popular Periodicals ............... 281 7. Conclusion......................................................................................................301 7.1 Mid-Victorian Travel Publishing: Themes...............................................303 7.2 Historical Geographies of Geographical Publishing: Implications.......... 317 7.3 Geographical Publishing and Print Culture: Future Directions................321 Appendix I: Chronology of Publications, 1855-1879..........................................329 Appendix II: Electronic Resources.....................................................................332 Appendix III: Missionary Travels: Reviews.......................................................343 Bibliography........................................................................................................353 6 List of Figures 1.1‘The Communications Circuit’ ...........................................................................44 1.2 ‘A New Model for the History of the Book’...................................................... 45 2.1 Extract from Copies Ledger E, John Murray Archive....................................... 103 2.2 John Murray’s Estimates....................................................................................104 2.3 Sources from the John Murray Archive: Livingstone’s Dedication.................. 105 3.1 David Livingstone’s Missionary Travels...........................................................154 3.2 Competition in the British Marketplace.............................................................155 3.3 The American Circulation of Livingstone’s