Warren was an influential figure in Birmingham at a time when it was a hotbed of creative activity, opening a bookshop in High Street, Birmingham around 1727.
[1] From here he founded and published the Birmingham Journal – the town's first known newspaper;[2] he edited and published Samuel Johnson's first book – a translation of Jerónimo Lobo’s Voyage to Abyssinia[3]—and with Joshua Kirton sold Francis Godwin's The Man in the Moone.
[4] Warren was also known for publishing collections of contemporary musical catches, canons, glees and rounds, more than 650 works by over 100 composers.
[5] He also financed the cotton mill established by John Wyatt and Lewis Paul in 1741.
[7] The Paul-Wyatt cotton mill was not a financial success, however, and Warren declared bankruptcy in 1743.