[9][b] In 1817-8 Thorne considered retiring (according to Talbot Baines Reed, whose family later took over his company, he was in poor health),[8] and offered his business for sale for £8,000 but could not find a buyer.
[9] On his death the business was auctioned as a single concern,[c] and bought by William Thorowgood, the co-proprietor of a pump company (according to Reed "with the proceeds, it is said, of a fortunate draw in one of the State Lotteries").
[12] According to Thomas Curson Hansard (1825), "the extremely bold and fat letter, now prevalent in job-printing, owes its introduction principally to Mr. Thorne, a spirited and successful letter-founder" and according to William Savage (1822) he "has been principally instrumental in the revolution that has taken place in Posting Bills by the introduction of fat types.
"[13][14] Reed wrote that his early types shown in 1798 formed a specimen that is "indeed one of the most elegant of which that famous decade can boast.
[17] More recent writers, such as Nicolete Gray and Paul Barnes, have simultaneously been more complimentary towards his work and cautioned that limited documentation means that his supposed impact on printing trends cannot be confirmed.