William Dymock, founder of Dymock's bookshop, was the first Australian-born bookseller to establish and maintain a successful bookselling venture. Having worked in the Sydney branch of the business of George Robertson for a time, he established his own shop in Pitt Street, Sydney, in 1882. His business grew rapidly, and two years later he moved to 142 King Street where he opened the first 'Dymock's Book Arcade'.
Six years later he had expanded his stock considerably and therefore moved the business to George Street where it has continued to operate into the 21st century. The man once referred to by the younger George Robertson as 'the somewhat erratic but wholly lovable William Dymock' played a pivotal role in the early success of the business. An article on Dymocks Book Arcade in a newspaper of 1890 cited Dymocks as an example of great commercial success achieved by an Australian citizen, who by
integrity of character, and unremitting attention to business, [has] evolved a large and flourishing establishment out of a comparatively insignificant nucleus, reminding one very much of the growth and development of the umbrageous oak from the small and insignificant beginning represented by the acorn.
Dymock died in 1900 at the age of 39. Unmarried and childless, he left the business to his sister Marjory, who was married to John Forsyth, and the couple's son John Malcolm Forsyth became managing director of Dymocks Book Arcade.
