Trench & Co. Kegan Paul

Born in 1828, Charles Kegan Paul was educated at Eton and Oxford and began his career in the Church of England. After serving as a schoolmaster and later as a clergyman, he eventually left clerical life and moved into publishing, bringing with him a strong interest in literature, religion, and public debate.

He is best remembered for his connection to the London publishing house that carried his name, Kegan Paul, Trench & Co., part of the well-known Kegan Paul imprint in the late nineteenth century. Under that name, the firm became associated with serious nonfiction, literary works, and translations, helping give it a lasting place in British publishing history.

Kegan Paul also wrote and translated books of his own, so he stood close to both sides of the literary world: making books and publishing them. That mix of scholar, writer, and publisher helps explain why his name still appears so often in the history of Victorian books.