Vestiges of The Natural History of Creation - Publication

Publication

The book was published by the medical publisher John Churchill in London and great pains were undertaken to secure the secret of the authorship. After Robert Chambers completed each section of the manuscript, his wife would transcribe it. Because Chambers was already a well-known author, this precaution would prevent anyone from recognizing his handwriting. This copy would then be transferred into the hands of Chambers's friend Alexander Ireland. Because Ireland lived in Manchester, this would hide the fact that the manuscripts originated from Scotland. Ireland would then deliver the manuscript to the publisher. Proofs were delivered by the printer--a Mr. Savill--back to Ireland, who would then forward them to Chambers, and the process would repeat itself. Because of these measures, the publisher and printer remained clueless as to who the true author was. To further prevent the possibility of any unwanted revelations, Chambers disclosed the secret to only four people: his wife, his brother William, Ireland, and George Combe’s nephew, Robert Cox. All correspondence to and from Chambers passed through Ireland’s hands first, and all letters and manuscripts were dutifully transcribed in Mrs. Chambers’s hand.