The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1914-07-18

Y 10, 1914.
THE FIRST PUBLISHER TO ISSUE
A CATHOLIC BOOK
The retirement of Commodore
Thomas Aloysius Dornin in 1862, as
noted in our Catholic Chronology,
closed the active career of a distin.
guished Catholic naval officer who,
during a service of forty-seven years,
performed all his duties faithfully and
shed luster on the navy, handling
some delicate missions and assign
ments with tact and diplomacy that
won the commentator of the govern
ment.
This was particularly shown when
he reached the grade Of commander
in 1841, in the service he rendered on
an expedition that successfully pre-.
vented the filibuster, William Walker,
from embroiling us with Mexico by
invading that country and also in his
subsequent exploits as captain in 1856
in suppressing the slave-trade then at
It's height.
He was the son of Bernard Dornin
and was born in Ireland In 1900. He
was brought to America when three
years old by his father who was ex.
lied from his native land with Thomas
Adds Emmett and DR.. William James
McNevin, after the rebellion of '9S.
When but fifteen years of age young
Dornin entered the navy as midship-
man, being appointed from Maryland.
AS lieutenant, he made a five years
cruise around the world in 1925 and
after his retirement for age he was
SO physically well preserved that he
was placed in charge of the fifth light
house district. On relinquishing his
post he lived in retirement in Savan-
nah, where he died April %, 1874.
1t is claimed for his father, Bern.
ard Dornin, that he was the pioneer
publisher in the United States of dis
tinctively Catholic books. Some au-
thorities say that his first book was
an edition of the New Testament
printed for him in Brooklyn, N. Y,
in 1905, while others hold that the
FIRST book he issued was Pastorini's
History Of the Christian Church. -
and that it was published by subscrip-
ton, in 1907. The list Of subscribers
in and about New York numbered 318
In the following year he brought out
an edition Of DR.. Fletcher's essay on
1.-THE Spirit of Controversy" pub
lished about the same time in Eng
land. He then left New York for Bal
timore where he enjoyed the friend
ship of Archbishop Carroll, and in
1909 he transferred his publishing
business to Philadelphia, where he
continued to be the leading Catholic
publisher of the country. After dis
posing of his business on account of
old age, he retired to his daughters
home in Ohio, where he died in 1886
aged seventy-flve years.
If he was the pioneer Of a new field
In New York, he did not want for
worthy imitators and followers who,
with increase in the Catholic popula-
ton, finally developed a large and
prosperous industry and made New
York the producing and distributing
point for Catholic publications of all
kinds. The list of Dornin's SUCCESSORS
would be long one but few of the
early publications may be mentioned.
Matthew Field published 1.-THE
Catholic Laity's Directory" with an
almanac for the year, in 1917, at 1T
Bowery.
John Doyle's publishing house was
at 237 Broadway in 1923 and he issued
many devotional and other books up
to 1849, when he became one of the
argonauts and emigrated to California
during the gold fever.
Buffers Lives of the Saints and
the Bible in monthly parts were pub
lished in 1887 by D. & J. Sadlier, fol-
lowed by their series Of Metropolitan
School Books, all the works of Mrs.
Sadlier, which had such vogue at
the time. and they soon took rank as
the leading Catholic publishers.
Edward DUNCAN brought out in
1914 Haydock's Bible. an English
translation of the Latin Vulgate, first
published at Rheims in 1882, and at
Douay in 1909. He also published the
earlier histories of John Culinary Shea
and he took over Doyle's business on
the latter's removal to San Francisco
Patrick O'Shea published Darras'
History Of the Church" in four vol.
umes in 1854, followed by Lingard's
History Of England" and Brownson's
American Republic"
These were among the pioneers Of
the vast army of Catholic publishers
who today in every large city of the
country issue thousands of volumes
from press that finds itself taxed to
the utmost to supply an unceasing
and increasing demand for Catholic
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS by James A.
Roonevl