Thomason & Company Booksellers is more than just a bookshop. In addition to our specially curated selection of books, we offer art, collectibles, historic ephemera, photographs, and popular culture. Since 1995, we have been dedicated to the acquisition and preservation of rare, historic, and controversial texts and cultural artifacts in keeping with the Thomason Legacy and mission.
The first of the Thomason family booksellers was George Thomason II (b. 1602) who began his career at the Rose & Crown bookstore in London, England during the early 1600s. The company’s founder, Henry Fetherstone (b. 29 Jul 1582), was a prominent publisher and officer in the Stationers’ Guild and who’s father, Sir Cuthbert Fetherstone (also spelled ‘Featherstone’), served as Gentleman Usher to Queen Elizabeth I.
In the early 1620s, Fetherstone made George Thomason II his apprentice. Over the years, Thomason developed a very close relationship the Fetherstone family and later became a partner in the Rose & Crown. Thomason married Fetherstone’s niece, Kathrine Hutton (b. 1612), daughter of Sir Richard Goldsborough Hutton, Kt. (b. 1560) and assumed control of the company soon after. Katherine was a remarkable woman, memorialized by the famous English poet John Milton who dedicated his Sonnet XIV to her after her death.
The Rose and Crown was located near St. Paul’s Cathedral in London and survived into the English Civil War of 1641. During the war, George Thomason became highly concerned with events unfolding in England. On the one side there were Parliamentarians or “Roundheads” who were largely Protestants who sought to preserve their monopoly on Christian practices through the British Isles. On the other side were Royalists or “Cavaliers” who, as their title indicates, supported King Charles I(19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649), son of King James VI of Scotland, who opposed the Protestant Parliament and sought to restore England to an absolute monarchy.
During this tumultuous period, George Thomason was highly critical of absolute monarchy. However, the excesses of the Protestant-dominated Parliament, including the execution of Charles I, caused him to align himself with the cause of Charles II.
As the Civil War raged on, many atrocities were committed by Parliamentary forces. Later, after the infamous Oliver Cromwell (25 April 1599 – 3 September 1658) became Lord Protector over the British Isles, the Protestant reign of terror was expanded resulting in several massacres of Catholics throughout the realm.
Although Thomason supported the Royalists against the Parliamentarians, he was appalled when both sides began systematically destroying the publications of the opposing side. At great personal risk and expense, he took it upon himself to preserve every publication produced in London to ensure that a true and accurate record of events was preserved for posterity. The final result of Thomason’s efforts culminated in more than 30,000 documents being collected in over 2,000 leather volumes bound and annotated by Thomason himself. Among those documents was a broadside written by Thomason titled Six New Queries, which denounced Cromwell’s New Model Army and a so-called democracy controlled by military forces.
George and Katherine were the parents of nine children, of which two sons assumed roles in the family’s bookshop and publishing business. However, following the Battle of Worcesteron 3 September 1651, Charles II fled England and many of his supporters faced bitter reprisals, leaving the Thomason family and their bookshop in a tenuous situation. Nevertheless, the Thomason’s persevered until Charles II successfully restored the English monarchy in 1660. Sadly, the family’s bookstore did not survive for long. In September 1666, the Rose and Crown along with the Stationers’ Hall and the entire area surrounding St. Paul’s Cathedral were burned during the Great Fire of London.
Fortunately, the “secret archive” also known as the “Thomason Tracts” was preserved. Following the death of George and Katherine that same year, the collection was to be transferred to the Bodleian Library at Oxford University, but negotiations fell apart. Almost a century later, Thomason’s archive was purchased by John Stuart, 3rd Early of Bute on behalf of King George III where it became known as the “King’s Pamphlet’s. King George III then donated the collection to British museum. Over two centuries later, in 1973, the collection was acquired by the British Library where they are known as the Thomason Tractsto to this day.
After seeing to their parents affairs, another of George and Kathrine’s sons, Thomas, would join his elder brother Edward in the Virginia Colony in North America in 1677.
Roughly 400 years since George Thomason II became the proprietor of the Rose and Crown, a new generation of Thomasons stepped forward to keep the family legacy alive.
Today, Thomason & Company Booksellers honors the family’s tradition by collecting and curating historically significant books as well as controversial pamphlets, documents and other items. Since 1996, J.D. Thomason, founder and current owner of the company, has continued expanding the family’s inventory to include works of art, historic ephemera and photographs, as well as other curiosities and artifacts.
In 2011, Thomason opened his first brick and mortar bookstore in his native Oklahoma. Later, after relocating to the independent publishing Mecca of Vermont in 2015, Thomason opened a second bookstore in Enosburg Falls. In 2020, the company moved its operations online and in 2022 formally launched its first web-based store.
In addition, the company is currently developing its own independent publishing division while continuing an ongoing search for a suitable tract of land where a bindery and writers’ retreat will be built.
Although George Thomason II passed away in April 1666, his passion and ideals live on within the family as well as among our devoted clientele and Friends of Thomason & Company.
As always, your patronage and support is greatly appreciated.
NOTE: We believe every book and every book buyer has a unique story of their own. Therefore, we are creating a blog and newsletter to chronicle rare finds and exciting book-buying adventures. We are also collecting first-person stories about your search for special books and collectibles made available by Thomason & Company. If you have a special request or would like to share a story of how you discovered our store, we encourage you to tell us about your quest and submit through our contact page.