Mathew Carey - Career in America

Career in America

Upon Carey's arrival in Philadelphia, the Marquis de Lafayette gave him $400 to establish himself. Carey used this money to set up a new publishing business and a book shop. He established:

• The Pennsylvania Herald,
• Columbian Magazine, and
• The American Museum.

He was unable to achieve a profit with any of these ventures. Carey printed the first American version of the Douay-Rheims Bible, popularly known as the Carey Bible, which was the first Roman Catholic version of the Bible printed in the United States. He also printed numerous editions of the King James version.

He frequently wrote on various social topics, including events during the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793, which was a crisis for the city. He provided political commentary in his essays and reported on debates in the state legislature. He was a founding member of the American Sunday-School Society.

In 1825, Carey retired, leaving his business to his son, Henry C. Carey. Before that, his son-in-law Isaac Lea had joined him in the business. Lea and Henry Carey made the business successful and, under their direction, for a time it was one of the most prominent publishers in the country. The business published such works as:

• The Encyclopedia Americana, and
• A dictionary of German lexicon.

After the death of Henry Carey, Lea took on a new partner. They changed the business name to "Lea and Blanchard." Later Lea took on his brothers, and they changed the name to "Lea Brothers and Company."