Robert Chambers (publisher born 1802)
| Robert Chambers | |
|---|---|
Robert Chambers
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| Born | 10 July 1802 Peebles, Peeblesshire, Scotland |
| Died |
17 March 1871 (aged 68) St Andrews, Fife, Scotland |
| Resting place | St Regulus Chapel, St Andrews |
| Occupation | Co-founder and partner, W & R Chambers, publisher, Edinburgh |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom |
| Education | The High School, Edinburgh |
| Notable works |
Traditions of Edinburgh (1824) The Picture of Scotland (1827) Histories of the Rebellions in Scotland Vestiges of Creation (1844) Ancient Sea-margins (1848) |
| Spouse | Twice married |
| Children | Son: Robert Chambers (1832–88) |
| Relatives | Mother: Jean Gibson brother: William Chambers (1800–83) Granddaughter: Violet Tweedale |
Robert Chambers FRSE FGS (10 July 1802 – 17 March 1871) was a Scottish publisher, geologist, evolutionary thinker, author and journal editor who, like his elder brother and business partner William Chambers, was highly influential in mid-19th century scientific and political circles.
Chambers was an early phrenologist and was the anonymous author of Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation, which was so controversial that his authorship was not acknowledged until after his death.
Robert and his elder brother William were both born in the rural town of Peebles in the Borders at the turn of the 19th century. The town had changed little in centuries. The town had old and new parts, each consisting of little more than a single street. Peebles was mainly inhabited by weavers and labourers living in thatched cottages. His father, James Chambers, made his living as a cotton manufacturer. Their slate-roofed house was built by James Chambers' father as a wedding gift for his son, and the ground floor served as the family workshop.
A small circulating library in the town, run by Alexander Elder, introduced Robert to books and developed his literary interests when he was young. Occasionally his father would buy books for the family library, and one day Robert found a complete set of the fourth edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica hidden away in a chest in the attic. He eagerly read this for many years. Near the end of his life, Chambers remembered feeling "a profound thankfulness that such a convenient collection of human knowledge existed, and that here it was spread out like a well-plenished table before me." William later recalled that for Robert, "the acquisition of knowledge was with him the highest of earthly enjoyments."
Robert was sent to local schools and showed unusual literary taste and ability, though he found his schooling to be uninspiring. His education was typical for the day. The country school, directed by James Gray, taught the boys reading, writing, and, for an additional charge, arithmetic. In grammar school it was the classics – Latin and Ancient Greek, with some English composition. Boys bullied one another and the teacher administered corporal punishment in the classroom for unruly behaviour. Although uninspired by the school, Robert made up for this at the bookseller.
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