Henry Kernot (October 20, 1806 – October 21, 1874) was an English-born American bookseller, author, cataloguer, and publisher.[1] He authored Bibliotheca Diabolica, an annotated bibliography of books about the devil, in 1874.[2][3]
Life and career
editKernot was born in London, England, to a French Huguenot family, on October 20, 1806.[4] He began his career as a bookseller in Europe, working at shops in Soho, Covent Garden, and Dublin, before moving to the United States in 1836.[1][4] Initially working at a small bookstore, he quickly became clerk and editor at Wiley and Putnam.[4][5] Kernot opened his own bookstore in New York City in 1846.[5] He later worked at D. Appleton & Company before joining Scribner, Welford and Armstrong in 1868, where he worked until his death.[4]
Over the course of his career, Kernot wrote or acted as publisher for several books and periodicals. Beginning in 1850, he published Donald Grant Mitchell's periodical Lorgnette.[6][7] In 1851, he published George Clayton Jr.'s Angelology: Remarks and Reflections.[8] Also in 1851, he published a satirical book entitled The New Dido.[9]
In 1874, Kernot compiled an annotated bibliography of books about the devil entitled Bibliotheca Diabolica. Despite ostensibly being a catalog for Scribner, Welford and Armstrong, the book was positively received.[10][11] A brief review in The Journal of Speculative Philosophy described it as "the most complete and valuable one ever published."[12]
His catalogue of books on the devil was illustrated with historical images and was divided into a section of serious depictions and satirical. According to a review of it, Kernot was well known among bibliophiles "for the extent and accuracy of his knowledge on books." [13]
He died of pneumonia on October 21, 1874.[4] He was buried at Mission Chapel in New York.[14] Some of his correspondence is held by the New York Public Library.[15]
Bibliography
editAs publisher
edit- Lorgnette, a society pamphlet by Donald Grant Mitchell
As writer/editor
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Wilson, James Grant; Fiske, John, eds. (1888). Appleton's Cyclopædia of American Biography. Vol. III. New York: D. Appleton and Company. p. 525 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Bibliotheca Diabolica: Being a Choice Selection of the Most Valuable Books Relating to the Devil; His Origin, Greatness, and Influence ... With Some Curious Volumes on Dreams and Astrology. In Two Parts, Pro and Con - Serious and Humorous. Chronologically Arranged with Notes, Quotations and Proverbs, and a Copious Index. Scribner, Welford & Armstrong. 1874.
- ^ "Diabolical Literature". The New Orleans Bulletin. New Orleans, Louisiana. 1874-10-11. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-02-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e "Obituary: Henry Kernot". Publishers Weekly. 1874-10-31. pp. 482–483. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ a b "Mr. Kernot's New Up-Town Book Store". New-York Tribune. New York, New York. 1846-06-25. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-02-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Marvel, Ik (1890). Reveries of a Bachelor, or, A Book of the Heart (New and Revised ed.). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. xiv–xv.
- ^ "New Publications". The Evening Post. New York, New York. 1850-03-02. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-02-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Clayton Jr., George (1851). Angelology: Remarks and Reflections. New York: Henry Kernot. Frontispiece.
- ^ "New Publications". New-York Tribune. New York, New York. 1851-02-05. p. 7. Retrieved 2023-02-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Literary Gleanings". The Buffalo Commercial. Buffalo, New York. 1874-11-11. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Devil in Literature". York Democratic Press. York, Pennsylvania. 1875-01-08. p. 4. Retrieved 2023-02-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Book Notices". The Journal of Speculative Philosophy. 8 (4): 379–380. October 1874. JSTOR 25665898.
- ^ "Diabolical Literature". October 11, 1874. p. 3 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "New-York". The New York Times. New York, New York. 1874-10-28. p. 8. Retrieved 2023-02-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Kernot, Henry". NYPL Digital Collections. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ "Catalogue of English, French and American Books". New-York Tribune. New York, New York. 1844-04-17. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-02-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Various Matters". The Portland Daily Press. 1874-10-27. p. 2, col. 3. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
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