Robert Clarke was born May 1, 1829, at Annan, Dumfrieshire, Scotland, and came with his parents to Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1840.
[1] He was a bookkeeper for William Hanna, and then became a proprietor of a second-hand bookstore near the corner of 6th and Walnut St.
In 1858, in partnership with John W. Dale and Roderick D. Barney, he bought out the large Cincinnati publishing and bookjobbing firm H. W. Derby & Co., renaming it Robert Clarke & Co.[3] In 1874, Howard Barney and Alexander Hill entered the firm.
[1] Robert Clarke died at his home library in Glendale, Ohio, on August 27, 1899.
[6] The firm's reputation for access to comprehensive offerings is illustrated by the following testimonials: the Americana Catalogues of Robert Clarke & Co., of Cincinnati, are the completest booksellers' list of that kind which are published in America.Many of the books above mentioned are old and not easily obtainable at ordinary bookstores.