Rand, Avery & Co.

Rand, Avery, and Company (1851 - 1886)

Rand, Avery, and Company (1851 – 1886) was a Boston based book and map printers active in the late 19th century. The company was founded in 1851 by George Curtis Rand (December 13, 1819 – December 30, 1878) and his brother in law Abraham Avery (November 15, 1824 - April 3, 1893). George C. Rand was a brother to William H. Rand of Rand, McNally, and Company of Chicago. George C. Rand was born in Woodstock, Vermont, to Baptist minister John Rand (1781 – 1855) and his wife. Rand began working in the printing industry from at least the 1840s, wherein he mostly produced religious tracts. He married Julia Avery in 1851 and brought his brother-in-law, Abraham Avery, into the business, renaming the firm Rand, Avery, and Company. Avery was born in Wibraham, Massachusetts and studied at Wesleyan University, which his father helped to found. Rand, Avery, and Company was based in Cornhill, Boston, and was, for a time, they were the largest printers in New England. Such works as Uncle Tom's Cabin were included in their catalog. Avery retired when Rand died in 1878, but the firm continued to publish under another generation of managers, including Rand's son, Avery L. Rand, until at least 1886. They also took on a fourth partner, Orrin F. Frye, and published as Rand, Avery and Frye. After retiring Avery moved to Los Angeles where he died in 1893. It appears that this firm also published under the name the Rand Avery Supply Company. [https://www.geographicus.com/P/ctgy&Category_Code=randavery DJackson 6/7/2021]