John Harris (1756 - 1846) was an English children's book publisher active from the end of the 18th through the mid-19th century. He worked as an apprentice for Thomas Evans and then worked for John Murray for a short time and then moved to John Newbery's publishing house. Harris bought the Newbery firm in 1801 and renamed it using his own name. Newbery had focused on Evangelical material, but Harris recognized that lighter, more playful items sold better. He published The Comic Adventures of Old Mother Hubbard and Her Dog in 1805, firmly departing from Newbery's original business model. Harris also included copperplate illustrations on every page, another departure from Newbery's sparse use of woodcut illustrations. Harris continued to publish amusing and entertaining books, many meant for children. He had a catalog of 419 titles by 1809. He renamed the firm J. Harris and Son in 1819 and turned the firm over to his son in 1824. Griffith and Farran bought the firm in 1843. More by this mapmaker...

John Wallis (1745 - 1818) was a London map seller, publisher, and maker of puzzles and board games active in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Wallis studied mapmaking under the stationer William Johnson, with home he was apprenticed from about 1769. Upon his release from apprenticeship he partnered with one "Stonehouse" to found the short lived imprint "Wallis and Stonehouse". The firm lasted but two years before Wallis declared bankruptcy in 1778. Wallis subsequently started another independent firm specializing in children's books, games, and puzzles. In advertising ephemera issued c. 1812, Wallis claims, falsely, to have invented the puzzle map (this honor in fact goes to either John Bowles (1759) or John Spilsbury (1767). In 1813 he partnered with his son, Edward Wallis, to found Wallis and Son, which proved, primarily under Edward's management, exceptionally successful. Wallis's cartographic corpus is significant, including many important Revolutionary War ears maps of the Americas, as well as various pocket and dissected maps of London, Westminster, and environs. Upon his death, Wallis passed his business on to his sons, Edward Wallis and John Wallis, who operated separate but successful firms. The Edward Wallis firm is considered the direct successor to John Wallis, and the John Wallis II firm a new and completely separate establishment. Learn More...