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Who is William Tinsley?

William Tinsley (1831-1902) dba Tinsley Brothers published George Moore’s debut novel, the three-volume A Modern Lover (1883), on consignment (so to speak). As with other untested authors including Thomas Hardy, Tinsley asked Moore to guarantee sales of his novel sufficient to cover the costs of production.

The above drawing gives Tinsley’s address as 18 Catherine Street, whereas his address on the title page of A Modern Lover is 8 Catherine Street.

Though sales of A Modern Lover were stymied by the resistance of circulating libraries, Moore’s guarantee was not enforced because the publisher’s stock was purportedly destroyed in a warehouse fire.

The second edition of A Modern Lover (1885) was published in one volume by Henry Vizetelly, located at 42 Catherine Street, Strand.

Edmund Downey, an employee of Tinsley in 1883, later published George Moore’s sixth novel Mike Fletcher (1889) under his own imprint.