Robert Cadell

Robert Cadell (16 December 1788 – 20 January 1849) was a bookseller and publisher closely associated with Sir Walter Scott.

Cadell's career began as a clerk at Archibald Constable & Co., Sir Walter Scott's publisher, where he acquired an interest in the firm from 1809, became a joint partner in 1811 after Mr Hunter of Blackness dropped out, and from 1812 was sole partner with Constable.

The two men were very different characters: Cadell was cautious and lived plainly, while Constable's lifestyle was lavish and he took risks in business.

The work to create this ‘author's edition’ commenced in 1827 and was highly successful, in part perhaps because of the illustrations executed for it by J. M. W. Turner.

[1] Cadell's wealth enabled him to acquire considerable land and personal property, including Ratho House, in Midlothian.