Making Books for Mr Murray: The Case of Edward Parry's Third Arctic Narrative

Abstract

The Arctic explorer Edward Parry was among the most admired heroes of the 1820s, and his four narratives, all published by John Murray, won exceptionally high praise from reviewers. However, the praise was not unmixed with criticism. This article examines the reception of the third narrative, which was the least favourably received of the four. Reviewers' praise of it was often combined with insinuations that the true aim of the Admiralty expeditions led by Parry and his fellow naval officers was the production of luxurious and profitable quartos (or, as it was then termed, ‘book-making’). Many of the reviews demonstrate a sceptical and highly sophisticated approach to exploration literature as a genre. The case of Parry's third narrative therefore demonstrates the complexity of the processes through which the credibility and cultural authority of exploration narratives were negotiated.

Geographies of the Book: Review and Prospect

“…Books of travel were packaged and were transportable representations of geographical knowledge, but their written content was never an unproblematic statement of fact. Historians of the book and geographers interested in the making of travel texts have shown how authorial strategies and practices of editorial mediation combined to shape both style and substance in particular ways (Cavell , ; Craciun , ; MacLaren , , , ; Withers & Keighren ). Travellers and their publishers—keen to assure readers of the truth of what was written—employed a variety of occasionally contradictory approaches to demonstrate the credibility and authority of texts and their authors (Keighren & Withers ).…”

The Spectral Arctic

“…Through vitriolic policing of knowledge about Arctic exploration in the conservative journal the Quarterly Review, Barrow tried to freeze out critical, literary or otherwise unauthorised voices, while contracts with John Murray promised preferred commanders a prestigious publisher for their narratives. In reality, Barrow was not always successful in his policing efforts (see Cavell, 2013a) and some officers were not beholden to John Murray at all: John Ross and Alexander Fisher published with Longmans for instance. Nevertheless, what did happen in the 1840s, alongside the deaths of John Murray II and John Barrow, was a transformation of the media landscape by spiritualism, the telegraph, penny presses and mass readership, allowing voices very different to Barrow's to increase in volume, make claims and seek credibility on the Arctic.…”