The Robinson family of booksellers and publishers included George Robinson (1736-1801), his brothers James (d.1803/4) and John (1753-1813), his son George (d.1811), and the latter's sons George (fl. 1797-1830), Samuel and Henry. The Robinsons traded in London from 1764-1830, and were for a time the leading publishing dynasty in the English-speaking world. Until 1822 the firm traded at 25 Paternoster Row, in the heart of London's traditional bookselling district.
The first George Robinson was known as a generous patron of authors and in leader in booktrade sociability and commercial affairs. After the latter's death in 1801, and in the aftermath of a fire in a printing office in which the firm had invested heavily, the Robinson family lost much of their eminence in the publishing field, and various members of the family were in and out of bankruptcy.
