James Lackington (31 August 1746, in Wellington, Somerset – 22 November 1815, in Budleigh Salterton, Devon) was a bookseller who is credited with revolutionizing the British book trade. He is best known for refusing credit at his London bookshop which allowed him to reduce the price of books throughout his store. He built the largest bookstore in the United Kingdom, with an inventory of over 500,000 volumes. Early life The son of a shoemaker, and one of 11 children, Lackington was apprenticed to a cobbler at an early age. He showed initiative by also selling pies and cakes in the street when aged 10. Lackington had no formal education, and in order to teach himself to read, he and his friends would often scour flea markets for cheap editions of poetry, plays, and classical literature. 'Temple of the Muses' Bookstore In August 1773, Lackington moved to London with his first wife, Nancy. Upon arrival, he spent their last half-crown on a book of poems. Later, in his memoirs, he explained: "for had I bought a dinner, we should have eaten it to-morrow, and the pleasure would have been soon over, but should we live fifty years longer, we shall have the Night Thoughts to feast upon." In 1774, Lackington had saved enough money to be able to rent his own shop, and he began selling both shoes and books together. He bought whole libraries and published writers' manuscripts. He also saved remaindered books from destruction and resold them at bargain prices, firmly believing that books were the key to knowledge, reason and happiness and that everyone, no matter their economic background, social class or gender, had the right to access books at cheap prices. By 1794, Lackington had amassed a large enough inventory to move into a massive shop on Finsbury Square with his business partner Robert Allen. Lackington named the store 'Temple of the Muses' and was said to have been large enough "that a mail-coach and four were driven round the counters at its opening". Above the entrance of the store, he placed a plaque which read: "Cheapest Bookstore in the World." The bookstore was the largest in the United Kingdom, and boasted an inventory of over 500,000 volumes, with annual sales of 100,000 books. Later that year, Lackington minted a token which customers could use as an in-store currency. The token had Lackington's image on the obverse