Open Collections

[between 1849 and 1905]

1 bookseller's ticket : relief printing ; 2.4 x 1.6 cm

McMullen, John Mercier

Still Image

John Mercier McMullen (1820-1907) was a bookseller, author, printer, and publisher based in the city of Brockville in Eastern Ontario. Born on June 4, 1820 in County Kilkenny, Ireland, McMullen immigrated to Canada in 1848 with his first wife, Sarah Charlotte Nesbitt. After settling in Brockville in 1849, McMullen opened shop as a bookseller and stationer. However, it appears that McMullen published at least one title, 'The Colonial Policy of England Examined by Ebenezer Telltruth' (1849), in St. Catharines, Ontario before arriving in Brockville. In1852, McMullen began to publish 'The Leeds Free Press," however, the competition he faced from two local rival newspapers, 'The Statesman" and "The Recorder," forced him to discontinue publication in 1854. McMullen instead began work on his book "The History of Canada, from Its First Discovery to the Present Time," which was published in 1855. The book received wide acclaim and sold steadily for two decades. According to 'The Canadian Encyclopedia,' McMullen's book 'stressed'the necessity and goodness of material progress, commercial expansion, British parliamentary institutions and colonial self-government. In this view Canada West (Ontario) was seen as both harbinger and guardian of such virtues ; other regions were shunted to the periphery, regarded (as with Québec) either as impedimenta or (as with the West) as soil for possible Ontario-based expansion. The Maritime colonies were largely ignored.' In 1856, McMullen purchased the newspaper "The Monitor" (formerly "The Statesman"), which he published until 1888 when ill health forced his retirement. Other books written and published by McMullen include 'Every Man His Own Lawyer, and General Legal Form Book' (1881), 'The Chimney Islands: An Interesting and Instructive Historical Sketch' (1901?), and 'The Supremacy of the Bible' (1905). McMullen died on February 9, 1907, leaving behind his second wife, Sarah Eliza Stephens, and seven children.
References:
1) ISBNdb.com. (2002-2013). Books of this Publisher - J. M'Mullen Brockville, C.W. [Ont.]. Retrieved February 1, 2013, from http://isbndb.com/d/publisher/j_mmullen.html
2) Jim Bate. (2009). Person Sheet - John Mercier McMullen. Retrieved February 1, 2013, from http://www.jimbate.com/familytree/website/ps01/ps01_121.htm
3) The Canadian Encyclopedia. (2012). English-Language Book Publishing. Retrieved February 1, 2013, from http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/englishlanguage-book-publishing
4) The Canadian Encyclopedia. (2012). Historiography in English. Retrieved February 1, 2013, from http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/historiography-in-english
5) Westenhofer, Dorothy Mae McAdams. (1979). McMullen house. Buried Treasure: Central Florida Genealogical and Historical Society, 11(3), 9. Retrieved from http://www.cfgs.org/BTarchive/XI/No3_Jul_79.pdf
6) WorldCat. (n.d.). Search results for 'au:McMullen, John Mercier'. Retrieved February 1, 2013, from http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3AMcMullen%2C+John+Mercier&qt=advanced&dblist=638

RBSC Bookplates

2013

Images provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy, or otherwise use these images must be obtained from Rare Books and Special Collections: http://rbsc.library.ubc.ca

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