G. Mercer (Graeme Mercer) Adam

Born in Loanhead, Scotland, in 1839, Graeme Mercer Adam was educated near Edinburgh and entered publishing while still young. He moved to Toronto in 1858, where he worked in bookselling and publishing and quickly became an energetic presence in Canadian literary life.

Adam went on to found and edit important periodicals, including the Canadian Monthly and Canada Educational Monthly, and he was closely involved with publishing ventures that supported Canadian writing. Reference works describe him as a tireless promoter of Canadian letters, as well as an editor and publisher with a strong instinct for bringing books to a wider public.

Alongside his editorial work, he wrote and compiled biographies, historical books, and descriptive volumes on Canada and other subjects. Later in life he lived in the United States, and he died in New York City on October 30, 1912; he was buried in Toronto.