Born at Shaston, Dorset, in 1723: died at Shiplake, Oxfordshire, April 4, 1776. An English writer and print-collector. He matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford, in 1743, but took no degree. He took holy orders, and was presented to the vicarage of Shiplake. About 1773 he made a tour through Holland. He wrote “A Biographical History of England … with a preface showing the utility of a collection of engraved portraits, etc.” (1769). This was continued with additions at different times till in 1824 the work had increased to 6 volumes. In 1806 another continuation appeared from materials left by Granger and the collections of the Rev. Mark Noble, who edited it. The wholesale destruction of illustrated biographical works necessary to accomplish this gave rise to the term grangerize.
A Biographical History of England, 1769
I write neither for fame nor bread; but have taken up the pen for the same reason that some of my brethren have laid it down, that is, only to amuse myself…. This singular book, which has been the employment of my leisure hours for several years of my life, will, doubtless, be numbered among my idlenesses, perhaps my weaknesses; but, I hope, never amongst my sins.
I have, since I saw you, read every word of “Granger’s Biographical History.” It has entertained me exceedingly, and I do not think him the Whig that you supposed. Horace Walpole’s being his patron is, indeed, no good sign of his political principles. But he denied to Lord Mountstuart that he was a Whig, and said he had been accused by both parties of partiality. It seems he was like Pope,
| “While Tories call me Whig, and Whigs a Tory.” |
I have no hesitation in designating it as a delightful and instructive book; but whoever republishes it should add the portraits of the different characters which were unknown to the author. Considering that Granger may be said to have first walked the field alone, it is surprising what he has done. His catalogue of engraved heads is immense. His style is always clear, pointed, and lively: and if he talked and preached as he wrote in his biographical history, it would have been difficult to have withdrawn attention from so intelligent a quarter.
That a certain class of bibliomaniacs and bibliolaters should be denounced as biblioclasts and bibliophobians by all the great community of bibliocists, bibliophilists, bibliographers, bibliopolists, bibliologists, bibliopegists, bibliotaphists, bibliothecarys and bibliognostes would seem, to the lay mind, to imply a very serious condition of affairs. Yet this is, and has been, exactly the position of the Grangerites since the founder of this sect published his great work one hundred and eighteen years ago…. Granger’s “History” was the first book extended by the introduction of extra prints illustrative of its text, and Mr. Granger was the original Extra-illustrator, the father of the noble band of Grangerites. Unlike his descendants he wrote his book to illustrate his portraits; he did not collect his portraits to illustrate his book.
Previously to the publication of the first edition of Granger’s work in 1769 five shillings were considered a liberal price by collectors for any English portrait. After the appearance of the “Biographical History,” books, ornamented with engraved portraits, rose in prices to five times their original value, and few could be found unmutilated. In 1856 Joseph Lilly and Joseph Willis, booksellers each offered for sale a magnificent illustrated copy of Granger’s work. Lilly’s copy, which included Noble’s “Continuation,” was illustrated by more than thirteen hundred portraits, bound in 27 vols. imperial 4to, price £42. The price of Willis’s copy, which contained more than three thousand portraits, bound in 19 vols. fol., was £38. 10s. It had cost the former owner nearly £200.
