Smellie, William, printer, Edinburgh
Record IDcni00059605
URIhttp://data.cerl.org/thesaurus/cni00059605
Last Edit2015-04-08
General Note
Second son of Alexander Smellie architect born in 1740 in The Pleasance Apprenticed to Hamilton, Balfour & Neill 1752. on the expiry of his apprenticeship he entered into an agreement with the printing firm of Murray & Cochran as a corrector of The Scots Magazine, by which he was allowed three hours a day for his studies at the University.. Married Jean daughter to John Robertson writer at London 27 March 1763. Burgess and Guild Brother in right of father William Smellie mason 23 October 1765. Author of “Philosophy of Natural History”, for volume 1 of which he was given one thousand guineas by Charles Elliot; translator of Buffon in 9 vols. 8vo. and editor of the first edition of the “Encyclopedia Britannica”. In 1775 he was the unsuccessful candidate for the Chair of Natural History in the University of Edinburgh. He was a founder member and later Secretary of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, and Superintendent of its Museum of Natural History; and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Member of the Edinburgh Bookseller's Society 16 November 1790. He died 24 June 1795.
More Information
Dates of Activity1765-1853
Activityprinter
Related Entries
See alsoAuld and Smellie, printer (1765 - 1766)
Morocco's Close, **Edinburgh
Balfour Auld and Smellie, Edinburgh (1767 - 1770)
William Smellie and Company, Edinburgh (1771)
Balfour and Smellie (1772 - 1783)
Foot of the Anchor Close, **Edinburgh
William Smellie (1783 - 1792)
*Foot of the Anchor Close, **Edinburgh
William and Alexander Smellie ¬printers to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland¬ (1792)
*Foot of the Anchor Close, **Edinburgh
William Smellie (1793 - 1795)
*Foot of the Anchor Close, **Edinburgh
Names
HeadingSmellie, William, printer, Edinburgh
used in: National Library of Scotland, Scottish Book Trade Index
Sources
Found inTimperley pp.787-88. — DNB. — Robert Kerr. “Memoirs of the life... of William Smellie”. 2 vols. Edinburgh, 1811. — Kay. — A visit to Mr Smellie's printing-office, foot of the Anchor Close. Taken from a periodical publication March 1843. — EdinMarr. — EdinBurg. — Edin Dir. — NLS Impr Ind. — Frank A. Kafker. 'William Smellie's edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica' “Studies on Voltaire and the Eighteenth Century” 315 (1994). — Kay. — Sher. Edinburgh Booksellers