Henry Kernot

Henry Kernot (October 20, 1806 – October 21, 1874) was an English-born American bookseller, author, cataloguer, and publisher.^[1] He authored Bibliotheca Diabolica, an annotated bibliography of books about the devil, in 1874.^[2][3]

Life and career

Kernot was born in London, England, to a French Huguenot family, on October 20, 1806.^[4] He began his career as a bookseller in Europe, working at shops in Soho, Covent Garden, and Dublin, before moving to the United States in 1836.^[1][4] Initially working at a small bookstore, he quickly became clerk and editor at Wiley and Putnam.^[4][5] Kernot opened his own bookstore in New York City in 1846.^[5] He later worked at D. Appleton & Company before joining Scribner, Welford and Armstrong in 1868, where he worked until his death.^[4]

Over the course of his career, Kernot wrote or acted as publisher for several books and periodicals. Beginning in 1850, he published Donald Grant Mitchell's periodical Lorgnette.^[6][7] In 1851, he published George Clayton Jr.'s Angelology: Remarks and Reflections.^[8] Also in 1851, he published a satirical book entitled The New Dido.^[9]

In 1874, Kernot compiled an annotated bibliography of books about the devil entitled Bibliotheca Diabolica. Despite ostensibly being a catalog for Scribner, Welford and Armstrong, the book was positively received.^[10][11] A brief review in The Journal of Speculative Philosophy described it as "the most complete and valuable one ever published."^[12]

His catalogue of books on the devil was illustrated with historical images and was divided into a section of serious depictions and satirical. According to a review of it, Kernot was well known among bibliophiles "for the extent and accuracy of his knowledge on books." ^[13]

He died of pneumonia on October 21, 1874.^[4] He was buried at Mission Chapel in New York.^[14] Some of his correspondence is held by the New York Public Library.^[15]

Bibliography

As publisher

• Lorgnette, a society pamphlet by Donald Grant Mitchell

As writer/editor

• Catalogue of English, French and American Books, a general annotated bibliography^[16]
• Bibliotheca Diabolica, a list of books about the devil^[17]