Andrew Foulis

Andrew Foulis (1712–18 September 1775) was a Scottish printer, brother of Robert Foulis. They worked in partnership as printers to the University of Glasgow.

Andrew Foulis was the son of a local Glasgow barber and maltman, named Andrew Faulls (or Faulds). Andrew Foulis, intended for the church, received the better education than Robert Foulis, who was intending to take up his father's trade as a barber. However, Robert still sat in on classes at the University of Glasgow and received an unofficial education and a formal mentor from Francis Hutcheson. Both Andrew and Robert had changed their surname from Faulls to Foulis in the 1730s. Robert shared a passion with Andrew Foulis for knowledge and found the way for them to contribute to academia beyond a professorship; also, the professor Francis Hutcheson was the first person to encourage Robert to take up an interest in Book selling and printing. Robert had initially started the press, however Andrew Foulis had joined in on the venture to form a partnership after spending 1738 and 1739 in England and France together. In Paris, Andrew and Robert had found some extraordinary books that they had purchased, imported back to England and then sold them for a profit; hence the beginning of their lucrative and prestigious partnership. Andrew and Robert's enterprise would continue for the next 30 years.

Andrew Foulis had studied at the University of Glasgow with a focus in Humanity (Latin). Foulis would later teach Latin, Greek, and French in Glasgow. In 1738, Andrew and Robert Foulis were traveling; when they arrived in Paris, they were introduced to well known ex-patriot Scottish writer Chevalier Andrew Ramsay (Ramsay is known for his tutoring of Prince James Francis Edward Stuart's two sons in Rome including Prince Charles Edward Stuart). The acquaintance to Ramsay had led the Foulis brothers to the most fine and exclusive Parisian libraries, of which a good number of the contents had become the Foulis brothers' initial success that had launched their book dealing business.

In 1741, Foulis' brother Robert had established the bookshop at Glasgow; this was a full ten years prior to John Smith opening his fist shop in the city. The brothers didn't take too long to start publishing their own books. Within the first year, all the printing for the Foulis publishing had to be outsourced to other printers, but by their second year they had acquired their own printing press and were able to handle all of the publishing needs in house. Shortly thereafter, the Foulis brothers' printing and book shop became the University of Glasgow's Printer. Their publications were achieving high repute for being of great quality printing and publishing in mainly the classical and literary works.

...
Wikipedia