CONSTABLE, ARCHIBALD Scottish pub lisher, was born on Feb. 24, 17i4, at Carnbee, Fife. In 1795 he started in business as a dealer in rare books. He bought the Scots Magazine in 1801, and John Leyden, the orientalist, became its editor; in Nov. 1802 he issued the first number of the Edinburgh Review, to which Lord Jeffrey, Sir Walter Scott, Henry Hallam, and afterwards Macaulay were the leading contributors. In 1805, jointly with Longman and Co., Constable published Scott's Lay of the Last Minstrel, and in 1807, Marmion; but in 1808 there was a split between Constable and Scott, who transferred his business to John Ballantyne and Co., until 1813, when that firm was in difficulties and Constable again became Scott's publisher. In 1812 Constable purchased the copyright of the Encyclopedia Britannica, adding the supplement (6 vols., 1816-24) to the 4th, 5th and 6th editions (see ENCYCLOPEDIA) ; and in 1814 he bought the copyright of Waverley. The firm also published the Annual Register. In 1826 Constable failed for over £250,000, through over-speculation, while James Ballantyne and Co. also went bankrupt; Sir Walter Scott was involved in the failure of both firms ; but Constable started business afresh, and began in 1827 Constable's Miscellany of original and selected works, a series of original works and of standard books republished in cheap form. He died on July 21, 1827. Archibald Constable's son, Thomas (1812-81), was appointed, in 1839, printer and pub lisher in Edinburgh to Queen Victoria.
See T. Constable, Archibald Constable and his literary Corre spondents (3 vols. 1873).