Henry G. (Henry George) Bohn

Born in London in 1796, he was the son of a German bookbinder who had settled in England. He began in the book trade as a dealer in rare books and remainders, building a reputation for energy, shrewdness, and an eye for what readers wanted.

He is remembered above all for creating Bohn's Libraries, a large series of inexpensive volumes that included history, philosophy, science, travel, and literature in translation. At a time when many important books were hard to find or too costly for general readers, these editions helped open up a broad world of reading to the Victorian public.

Later in life, he sold his publishing business but remained a respected figure in the literary world. He died in 1884, leaving behind a lasting reputation as one of the publishers who did much to make knowledge and classic writing more widely available.