Leonard Smithers
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Leonard Smithers (1861 – 1907) was a British publisher, a friend of Oscar Wilde. He was the publisher of the British decadent movement of fin de siècle London, playing a critical role in the careers of Oscar Wilde, Aubrey Beardsley, Arthur Symons, Max Beerbohm among many others.
Among the publications by Smithers were rare erotic works and unique items such as books bound in human skin. He was also involved in the Savoy magazine.
In 1897 Bernard Quaritch called him the cleverest publisher in London. He was known for his taste in design and typography.
He was also considered to be quite reckless, publishing works that no one else would touch, such as Wilde's Ballad of Reading Gaol. The Concise Dictionary of National Biography notes that "There is little doubt that without Smithers the avant-garde movement of the 1890s might have been snuffed out".
See also
External links
Leonard Smithers by the Norman Colback Collection
