Murray's Family Library was a series of non-fiction works published from 1829 to 1834, by John Murray, in 51 volumes. The series editor was John Gibson Lockhart, who also wrote the first book, a biography of Napoleon.[1] The books were priced at five shillings;[2] Murray's approach, which did not involve part-publication, is considered a fundamentally more conservative business model, and intention, than used by the contemporary library of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge.[3]
| Volume | Year | Author | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I (2 vols.) | 1829[4] | John Gibson Lockhart | The Life of Napoleon Buonaparte[5] | |
| III | 1829[6] | John Williams | The Life and Actions of Alexander the Great[7] | |
| IV, X, XIII, XIX, XXVII, XXXVIII | 1829–31 | Allan Cunningham[8] | Lives of the Most Eminent British Painters, Sculptors and Architects[9] | |
| V, VI and IX | Vol. V August 1829 | Henry Hart Milman[10] | The History of the Jews | |
| VII, LI | 1829 | Anonymous (a number of authors; Robert Ferguson)[11] | The Natural History of Insects | |
| VIII | 1829 | Anonymous (S. Dunham Whitehead) | The Court and Camp of Buonaparte | |
| XI | 1830 | Washington Irving | The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus (abridged) | |
| XII | 1830 | Robert Southey | The Life of Nelson, third edition | |
| XIV | 1830 | Anonymous (William Macmichael and others; memoir of Caleb Hillier Parry by his son W. C. Parry)[12] | Lives of Eminent British Physicians | |
| XV, XLVIII, XLIX, L | 1830[13] | George Robert Gleig | The History of British India | |
| XVI | 1830 | Walter Scott | Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft[14] | |
| XVII | 1830 | Francis Bond Head | Life of Bruce the African Traveller | |
| XVIII | 1830 | Irving | Companions of Columbus | |
| XX, XXXII | Vol. XX 1831 | Anonymous, (Edward Smedley)[15] | Sketches from Venetian History[16] | |
| XXI | 1831 | Francis Palgrave | History of England | |
| XXII, XXXIV, XXXVII | Vol. XXII 1831 | Patrick Fraser Tytler | Lives of Scottish Worthies | |
| XXIII | 1831 | Anonymous (John Barrow) | Family Tour through South Holland | |
| XXIV | 1831 | David Brewster | Life of Sir Isaac Newton | |
| XXV | 1831 | Sir John Barrow, 1st Baronet | The Eventful History of the Mutiny and Piratical Seizure of HMS Bounty | |
| XXVI (2 vols.) | Vol. XXVI December 1831 | John James Blunt | Reformation in England[17] | |
| XXVIII (3 vols.) | 1832 | John Lander and Richard Lander, editor Alexander Bridport Becher | Adventures in the Niger | |
| XXXI | 1832 | Anonymous (Charles Edward Dodd) | The Trials of Charles I, and of some of the Regicides[18] | |
| XXXIII | 1832[19] | Brewster | Letters on Natural Magic | |
| XXXV | 1832 | Sir John Barrow | Life of Peter the Great | |
| XXXVI | 1832 | Henry Nelson Coleridge | Six Months in the West Indies | |
| XXXIX (2 vols.) | 1834 | Irving | Sketch Book | |
| XLI (6 vols.) | 1834 | Alexander Fraser Tytler | Universal History | |
| XLVII | 22 September 1834. | Crofton Croker | Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland, 2nd edition illustrated by Daniel Maclise[20] |
In 1834 Murray sold out to Thomas Tegg.[21] Further volumes were added to the Library, under Tegg's management. There was a total of 80 volumes, by 1847.[22]
| Volume | Year | Author | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LII | Daniel Defoe | History of the Plague Notes by E. W. Brayley | ||
| LIII (2 vols.) | Cyrus R. Edmonds | Life and Times of George Washington | ||
| LV | Irving | Knickerbocker's History of New York | ||
| LVI (3 vols.) | John Wesley | A Compendium of Natural Philosophy | ||
| LIX (2 vols.) | Philippe-Paul de Ségur | Bonaparte's Campaigns in Russia | ||
| LXI | 1837 | Richard Alfred Davenport[23] | Life of Ali Pasha, of Tepelini | |
| LXII | Charles Macfarlane[24] | Lives and Exploits of Banditti and Robbers | ||
| LXIII | Davenport | Sketches of Imposture, Decepture and Credulity | ||
| LXIV | 1838 | Davenport | History of the Bastile | |
| LXV | James Francis Hollings | Life of Gustavus Adolphus | ||
| LXVI | Richard Thomson | Chronicles of London Bridge | ||
| LXVII | Charles Bucke | Life of John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough | ||
| LXVII | 1839 | Thomas Roscoe | The Life and Writings of Miguel de Cervantes (1839), based on Martín Fernández de Navarrete.[25] [26] | |
| LXIX | 1839 | Hollings | Cicero's Life[27] | |
| LXX (2 vols.) | 1840 | Bucke | Ruins of Ancient Cities[28] [29] | |
| LXXII | 1840 | William Edmonstoune Aytoun | Life and Times of Richard I[30] [31] | |
| LXXIII | 1840 | Samuel Green | Life of Mahomet[32] [33] | |
| LXXIV (2 vols.) | Davenport | Narrative of Perils and Sufferings[34] | ||
| (3 vols.) | 1841 | John Chetwode Eustace | Classical Tour through Italy, 8th edition[35] | |
| LXXIX | Davenport | Lives of Individuals who have Raised Themselves from Poverty to Eminence or Fortune[36] | ||
| LXXX | 1842 | Anonymous (William Johnson Neale) | History of the Mutiny at Spithead and the Nore[37] |