Thomas Astley

Thomas Astley (died 1759) was a bookseller and publisher in London in the 18th century. He ran his business from Saint Paul's Churchyard (circa 1736-1742) and Paternoster Row (circa 1745). He belonged to the Company of Stationers. He published the "celebrated"Voyages and Travels which described localities in Africa and Asia, compiling information from travel books by John Atkins, Jean Barbot, Willem Bosman, Theodor de Bry, Francis Moore,Jean-Baptiste Labat, Godefroi Loyer, Thomas Phillips, William Smith, and Nicolas Villaut de Bellefond. It included engravings by G. Child and . Astley intended his Voyages to improve upon the previous travel collections of Samuel Purchas, John Harris, and Awnsham & John Churchill. It was read by patrons of Hookham's Circulating Library, Boosey's circulating library,London Institution, Royal Institution, Salem Athenaeum, and Cape Town public library. Astley's Voyages was translated into German (Schwabe (1747–1774), Allgemeine Historie der Reisen, Leipzig ) and French (Prévost (1746–1789), Histoire des voyages, Paris ).

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