Alexander Thom (almanac editor) explained

Alexander Thom (1801–1879) was a Scottish publisher, the founder of Thom's Irish Almanac.

Life

He was born at Findhorn in Moray, the son of the writer and journalist Walter Thom. He was educated at the High School, Edinburgh, and went to Dublin at age 20 to assist his father in the management of the Dublin Journal. On his father's death he obtained, through the influence of Sir Robert Peel, the contract for printing for the post office in Ireland. In 1838 he obtained the contract for the printing for all royal commissions in Ireland, and in 1876 was appointed to the post of Queen's Printer for Ireland.[1]

In 1844 Thom founded the work for which he is known, the Irish Almanac and Official Directory, which became a leader in its field. It incorporated statistics relating to Ireland.[1] Thom supervised its publication for over 30 years, passing the copyright to his son-in-law Frederick Pilkington in 1876. "Thom's Directory" was revised annually; in 1960 it was split into Thom's Dublin Street Directory and Thom's Commercial Directory, revised in alternate years until 2012.[2] James Joyce relied heavily on the 1904 edition when writing Ulysses.[3]

In 1860 he published for free distribution A Collection of Tracts and Treatises illustrative of the Natural History, Antiquities, and the Political and Social State of Ireland, two volumes[4] [5] which contain reprints of writers on Irish affairs in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Included are works of James Ware, Edmund Spenser, Sir John Davies, William Petty, George Berkeley, and others such as Gerard Boate, Thomas Prior and Arthur Dobbs.[1]

In 1878, during a printers' strike in Dublin, Thom sent work to Scotland. The resulting publicity brought the issue to the attention of the Westminster Parliament.[6]

Thom, who was twice married, died at his residence, Donnycarney House, near Dublin, on 22 December 1879.[1] [7]

List of Thom's Directories available free online

See also

References

Attribution

External links

Notes and References

  1. Thom, Alexander.
  2. Web site: Thoms Commercial and Street Directories - Thoms.ie. 11 September 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190911225406/http://www.thoms.ie/content/index.asp. 11 September 2019.
  3. Ó Gráda. Cormac. Summer 2004. Lost in Little Jerusalem: Leopold Bloom and Irish Jewry . 3831802. Journal of Modern Literature. 27. 4. 17–26 : 23. 10.2979/JML.2004.27.4.17.
  4. Book: James Hewitt, 4th Viscount Lifford. A collection of tracts and treatises illustrative of the natural history, antiquities, and the political and social state of Ireland: at various periods prior to the present century (I). 1860. Reprinted by A. Thom. James Hewitt, 4th Viscount Lifford.
  5. Book: James Hewitt, 4th Viscount Lifford. A collection of tracts and treatises illustrative of the natural history, antiquities, and the political and social state of Ireland: at various periods prior to the present century (II). 28 April 2012. 1861. Reprinted by A. Thom.
  6. Book: Laurel Brake. Marysa Demoor. Dictionary of Nineteenth-Century Journalism in Great Britain and Ireland. 2009. Academia Press. 978-90-382-1340-8. 623.
  7. Web site: Our Lady of Consolation, Donnycarney Church . www.donnycarneyparish.ie . 12 October 2021.
  8. Web site: Thom's Irish Almanac and Official Directory with Post Office Dublin City and County Directory for the year 1847. n/a. n/a. 12 February 1847. source.southdublinlibraries.ie. 19 July 2020. 19 July 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200719124542/http://source.southdublinlibraries.ie/handle/10599/5071. live.
  9. Web site: Thom's directory of Ireland. 1850.. HathiTrust. 28 May 2020. 26 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210926231130/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044021009170&view=1up&seq=1. live.
  10. Web site: Thom's Directory 1851 (Google Books). 1851. 12 February 2021. 26 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210926231051/https://books.google.com/books?id=ncs_AQAAMAAJ&q=Thom%27s+directory. live.
  11. Web site: Thom's Directory 1852 (Google Books). 1852. 28 September 2020. 26 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210926231132/https://books.google.com/books?id=518NAAAAYAAJ&pg=PT33. live.
  12. Web site: Thom's Directory 1857 (Google Books). 1857. 12 February 2021. 26 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210926231047/https://books.google.com/books?id=BXc9AAAAcAAJ&q=thom%27s+directory. live.
  13. Web site: Thom's Directory 1859 (Google Books). Thom. Alexander. 1859. 12 February 2021. 26 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210926231123/https://books.google.com/books?id=5E1efzZ593QC&q=Thom%27s+irish+almanac. live.
  14. Web site: Thom's Irish Almanac and Official Directory with the Post Office Dublin City and County Directory for the Year 1862 . source.southdublinlibraries.ie . 12 October 2021 . English . 1862.
  15. Web site: Dublin Street Directory, 1862 . www.libraryireland.com . 12 October 2021.
  16. Web site: Thom's directory of Ireland. 1870.. HathiTrust. 28 May 2020. 26 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210926231057/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924057459178&view=1up&seq=17. live.
  17. Web site: Thom's Directory 1873 (Google Books). 1873. 28 September 2020. 26 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210926231106/https://books.google.com/books?id=0T09AQAAMAAJ. live.
  18. Web site: Thom's Directory 1874 (Google Books). 1874. 28 September 2020. 26 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210926231130/https://books.google.com/books?id=_z89AQAAMAAJ. live.
  19. Web site: Thom's Directory 1876 (Google Books). 1876. 28 September 2020. 26 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210926231106/https://books.google.com/books?id=o0o9AQAAMAAJ. live.
  20. Web site: Thom's Irish Almanac and Official Directory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland for the Year 1877. n/a. n/a. 12 February 1877. source.southdublinlibraries.ie. 28 May 2020. 4 February 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200204205638/http://source.southdublinlibraries.ie/handle/10599/5090. live.
  21. Web site: Thom's Directory 1878 (Google Books). 1878. 12 February 2021. 26 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210926231131/https://books.google.com/books?id=dkA9AQAAMAAJ&q=Thom%27s+directory. live.
  22. Web site: Thom's Irish Almanac and Official Directory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland . 19 October 2022 . en . 1881.
  23. Web site: Thom's Irish Almanac and Official Directory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland . 19 October 2022 . en . 1883.
  24. Web site: Vol. 1884 : Thom's official directory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. A. Thom. Internet Archive.

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