John Maxwell

John Maxwell (1824–1895) was an Irish businessman and publisher. Known for his controversial publishing practices, and his work with Mary Elizabeth Braddon, he also worked as a property developer in London. He is known for his weekly magazines containing fiction and gossip aimed at a working-class audience, which he ran while also cultivating upmarket readers with monthly publications.

Biography Born in Ulster, Ireland, he was orphaned due to his parents dying at a young age. He came to London in 1842, making him 18 years old when he began his professional career, starting with the publication of Gerald Griffin’s poetry.

Maxwell married twice. With his first wife, Mary Anne Crowley, whom he married in 1848, he had at least five surviving children. In a few years, their relationship had already begun to deteriorate, especially due to her mental illness after the birth of her seventh child. In the 1850’s, she was later confined to a lunatic asylum, later dying in 1874. While still technically married, he was having an affair with Braddon starting in February 1861 while his wife was still in the asylum. From 1862-1870, Braddon and Maxwell had six children together and had even registered them as a married couple. He had even published about them being married in 1864 before they actually got married in 1874. The law during the time prevented Maxwell from divorcing his first wife, so he had to wait for Crowley’s death before marrying Braddon. Braddon not only supported Maxwell and his five children, but their own children as well. She also appreciated Maxwell’s business-oriented approach and it helped her be motivated and make business decisions. After others found out that they were not yet married and were having an affair, the couple faced public disapproval, with Mary possibly facing greater backlash due to her not having the respectability expected from a woman of this time. The actor Gerald Melbourne Maxwell, author W. B. Maxwell and barrister Edward Henry Harrington Maxwell were her sons.

Publishing career During the inception of Maxwell’s publishing career, he had the goal of publishing the work of Gerald Griffin while simultaneously working as a newsagent.

Sixpenny Magazine featured serialized novels. He often overstepped his payment and republished entire books or installments. The success of this novel formed a turning point in Braddon’s writing career and solidified her spot as an influential sensational fiction writer, calling more attention to Sixpenny Magazine in the process.

The Welcome Guest (1858-1864) Maxwell hired Mary Elizabeth Braddon as a staff contributor for The Welcome Guest; he saw good fortune in her ability to rapidly write for multiple markets, as he would rebrand her cheap writings for more high-class audiences. Overall, Maxwell saw the most success from The Halfpenny Journal. Using his knowledge from his hectic ownership of The Welcome Guest, he strived toward a more appealing magazine to gain traction and keep momentum going with The Halfpenny Journal.

Maxwell also developed property in Richmond, where he and Braddon lived at Lichfield House. Two nearby streets that he developed are named after characters in Braddon's novels.

Controversies John Maxwell was a figure of both admiration and criticism, while some people saw him as energetic and determined, others said he was brash, demanding, and ethically questionable.

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