James Thin (23 March 1824–11 April 1915) was a Scottish bookseller and businessman. In 1848, after a five-year apprenticeship and a further seven years working as a bookshop assistant, he started his own bookselling business. He worked in the business for over 60 years and was succeeded by four generations of his family. By the end of the 20th century, the firm had grown into a national concern, with 35 shops in Scotland and England, but it went into voluntary administration in 2002 with debts of £5 million. James Thin played an active role in several public and philanthropic bodies. He was an active member of his church, serving as a teacher in religious instruction and as a church officer. He was a noted hymnologist and amassed a collection of some 2,500 hymn books and works of hymnic literature. Early career James Thin was born in Edinburgh, the son of George Thin and Helen Ainslie. At the age of 11, he became apprenticed to James McIntosh, a bookseller at 5 North College Street, Edinburgh. His initial wage was 2/6d (12½ pence) per week, out of which he had to provide his pens and pencils. His working hours were 9 am to 9 pm, Monday to Saturday. Although he was entitled to a break of one hour at midday, his employer arranged for his lunch to be brought to the shop so that James could remain at his post throughout the day. One of his duties as an apprentice was to collect orders from the offices of the many publishers who were based in Edinburgh at the time. He thus became acquainted with some of the leading names in the Scottish publishing industry, including A & C Black, W. R. Chambers, and Thomas Nelson. He finished his apprenticeship in 1841, after which he worked as an employee of James McIntosh for a further seven years. Own business In 1848, at the age of 24, Thin went into business for himself. He purchased the assets of a Mr. Rickard, a bookseller who was in financial difficulties. Rickard's shop was at 14 Infirmary Street, where he had recently moved from 55 South Bridge. Thin started trading at the Infirmary Street premises on 3 April, trading under his own name (the business only became James Thin Ltd in the 1970s). Trade was slow at first, but improved over the next few years, thanks in