John Maxwell (1824–1895) was an Irish businessman, publisher and property developer in London.

He is known for his weekly magazines containing fiction and gossip aimed at a working-class audience, which he ran while also cultivating upmarket readers with monthly publications.

[1] Maxwell was from Ulster, an orphan from a Limerick family, and came to London around 1842, attempting to have Gerald Griffin's poetry published.

[1][2][3] From 1858 Maxwell founded a series of newspapers, beginning that year with Town Talk which lasted for 18 months, followed by The Welcome Guest from 1859, bought from Henry Vizetelly and loss-making as a 1d.

He survived a financial crisis in 1862, supported by the earnings of the author Mary Elizabeth Braddon, with whom he was living.