celebrated a Churchyard
publisher as John Newbery, who lived at No. 65, the original site being
now covered by the buildings of the R.T.S.; his successors, Griffith and
Farran, were at No. 81 until the year 1889, when they moved westward. F.
and C. Rivington were at No. 62 for many years, as Peter Pindar tells
us:

'In Paul's churchyard, the Bible and the Key,
This wondrous pair is always to be seen,--
Somewhat the worse for wear--a little grey--
One like a saint, and one with Caesar's mien.'

A mere list of the Churchyard booksellers would fill a goodly-sized
volume. In addition to those already mentioned, one of the most famous
and successful families who resided here were the Knaptons, where,
during the first three quarters of the last century, they built up an
enormous trade, and were succeeded by Robert Horsfield, who carried on
the business in Ludgate Street, and died in 1798. We possess one of the
interesting catalogues of James and John Knapton, whose shop was at the
sign of the Crown. It runs to twenty pages octavo, and enumerates an
extraordinary variety of literature. The books written and sermons
preached by right reverends and reverends occupy the first five pages,
arranged according to the authors' names; and then follow the works of
ordinary, commonplace mortals, sermons and Aphra Behn's romances, Mr.
Dryden's plays and the 'Whole Duty of Man' appearing cheek-by-jowl.

The most important contribution to the earlier history of bookselling
appeared from St. Paul's Churchyard in the shape of Robert Clavell's
'General Catalogue of Books printed in England since the Dreadful Fire,
1666, to the End of Trinity Term, 1676.' This catalogue was continued
every term till 1700, and includes an abstract of the bills of
mortality. The books are classified under their respective headings of
divinity, history, physic and surgery, miscellanies, chemistry, etc.,
the publisher's name in each case being given. Dunton describes Clavell
as 'an eminent bookseller' and 'a great dealer,' whilst Dr. Barlow,
Bishop of Lincoln, distinguished him by the term of 'the honest
bookseller.' Clavell's shop was at the sign of the Stag's Head, whilst
his partner in many of his projects was Henry Brome, of the Sun, also in
the Churchyard.

Joseph Johnson, the Dry Bookseller of Beloe, demands a short notice
here. He was born at Liverpool in 1738, and after serving an
apprenticeship with George Keith, Gracechurch