Appleton, D. (sold) (D. Appleton and Company)

Daniel Appleton (December 10, 1785 – March 27, 1849) was an American bookseller and publisher who founded one of the most influential publishing houses of 19th-century America. Born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, Appleton began his commercial career in the dry-goods trade, first in his native town and later in Boston, where he also imported merchandise from England. In 1825, he moved to New York City and entered into business with his brother-in-law, Jonathan Leavitt, gradually supplementing his dry-goods inventory with imported English books. Recognizing the greater promise of the book trade, Appleton eventually abandoned dry goods altogether and established a dedicated bookselling and publishing concern at Clinton Hall, near Beekman and Nassau streets. His first publishing venture, William Mason's Crumbs from the Master's Table, appeared in 1831. Appleton's eldest son, William Henry Appleton (1814 – 1899), assumed management of the book department and became a partner in 1838, when the firm adopted the name D. Appleton and Company. Under Daniel Appleton's direction, the house expanded its offerings from importing religious and literary works to include children's books, travel literature, educational publications, and Spanish-language books for the growing Latin American market. Appleton retired in 1848 and died in New York the following year, leaving the business to his sons William Henry, John Adams, George Swett, Daniel Sidney, and Samuel Francis Appleton. Under their leadership, the firm developed into a major international publisher whose catalog embraced literature, history, medicine, science, reference works, travel, and cartography. Its later authors included Charles Darwin, Thomas Henry Huxley, Herbert Spencer, Lewis Carroll, and Arthur Conan Doyle, whose novels, short stories, and essays appeared under the Appleton imprint between 1894 and 1926. The company merged with the Century Company in 1933 to form Appleton-Century, subsequently becoming Appleton-Century-Crofts in 1948; it was acquired by Meredith Publishing Company in 1960.