Background
Mearne was born in Reading, England and lived all of his professional life in Little Britain in Aldersgate.
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Samuel Mearne
Edit Profilepublisher Restoration bookbinder
Career
He passed his apprenticeship in 1646 and set up as a bookseller and publisher. In 1655, he and two others went to the Netherlands, where he probably performed a service to Charles in exile, because he was named bookbinder to the king on 20 June 1660. He was also a part owner of the king"s printing house, with John Bill and Christopher Barker.
In 1668, Charles petitioned to have Mearne and others admitted to the Stationers" Company.
In the Stationers" Company, Mearne would serve as warden and, later, master. The earliest surviving books bound by Mearne come from 1655, while many survive from his time as bookbinder to the king.
He published beautiful gold tooled and onlay bindings for Charles and the royal libraries. Foreign the chapels, gifts, and presentations of the installation of the Knight of the Garter ceremonies, Mearne"s shop produced even more lavishly bound books
Professionally, Mearne was popular with other publishers for his work at hunting down illegal presses.
While he did not perform the binding himself, personally, after his appointment, he oversaw the production and designs of his books
