A long life's relationship: Archibald Geikie, Alexander Macmillan and his publishing house

Abstract

AbstractThe relationship between Sir Archibald Geikie, his publisher Alexander Macmillan and Macmillan & Co began when Archibald was a young man of 23 and continued until his death in 1924. Correspondence and other sources reveal the development of an intimate relationship with Alexander, as well as others such as Norman Lockyer, editor of Nature from 1869 and responsible for Macmillan's science books. Archibald's relationship with Alexander was of mutual benefit and supportive, although this study shows that this was not without difficulties and some disagreement. It was a professional relationship, with both men wanting the best for their publications, but also a personal relationship as Alexander welcomed Archibald into his home. Through Alexander, Archibald widened his circle of acquaintances and met his wife, Anna Maria Alice Gabrielle Pignatel, and became linked in marriage when Alexander married her sister, Jeanne Barbe Emma. Through Macmillan's publications, Archibald gained an international audience as a communicator, pioneer historian of science and a successful writer of popular and readable textbooks.