Thomas Astley
Thomas Astley (died 1759) was a bookseller and publisher in
London in the 18th century. He often wrote about relevant topics at the time, and contributed to many of those controversial topics. He ran his business from Saint Paul's Churchyard (circa 1726-1742) and
Paternoster Row (circa 1745). He belonged to the
Company of Stationers. He published the celebrated ''Voyages and Travels'' which described localities in Africa and Asia, compiling information from travel books by
John Atkins, Jean Barbot,
Willem Bosman,
Theodor de Bry, Francis Moore,
Jean-Baptiste Labat, Godefroi Loyer, Thomas Phillips, William Smith, and Nicolas Villaut de Bellefond. It included engravings by G. Child and
Nathaniel Parr. Astley intended his ''Voyages'' to improve upon the previous travel collections of
Samuel Purchas,
John Harris, and Awnsham & John Churchill. It was read by patrons of
Hookham's Circulating Library,
Boosey's circulating library,
London Institution,
Royal Institution,
Salem Athenaeum, and Cape Town public library. Astley's ''Voyages'' was translated into German
() and French
().
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