Bradsher, Earl L. Mathew Carey, Editor, Author and Publisher: A Study in American Literary Development, New York: Columbia University Press, 1912.

This text covers many aspects of Carey’s life, and explores issues related to Carey’s publishing, including book distribution, competition with English imports, Carey’s nationalism and his role in promoting American literature and American authors, the reprint trade and copyright issues.

Carey, Mathew, Autobiography, Brooklyn: Research Classics, 1942

Carey originally published his Autobiography in a series of letters to The New-England Magazine, (July 1833-December 1834, V. 404, 489; VI. 60, 93, 227, 306, 400; VII. 61, 145, 239, 320, 401, 481.) In 1835 The New England Magazine discontinued the series. In 1837 a small edition of these letters plus three additional letters was published. This is the basic text for biographical information on Carey. The Research Classics edition also contains a review of Carey’s Autobiography, by Edgar Alan Poe, which appeared in The Southern Literary Messenger, II no. 3 (1836): 203-204. Carey wrote these letters in the 1830s. His memories sometimes conflict with historical data, especially concerning the dates when he was an apprentice to Benjamin Franklin in France.

Carter, Edward C. II, The Political Activities of Mathew Carey, Nationalist: 1760-1814, Bryn Mawr College PhD Dissertation, 1962

Carter thoroughly explores Carey’s political activities from his time in Ireland until 1814. Carter wrote “The main problem confronting a student of Mathew Carey’s life is how to cope with the vast amount of manuscript material touching on his activities. His papers are as voluminous and scattered as any leading public figure of the Early National Period. Carey letters can be found in a large number of the important American collections covering the period 1785-1840. He simply wrote to everybody. His daily correspondence (in his own hand) on occasion reached the total of forty letters [a day].

Clarkin, William, Mathew Carey: A Bibliography of His Publications, 1785-1824, New York: Garland Publishing, Inc. 1984

This is a bibliography of the works Carey printed, published and wrote from 1785 until 1824. It is riddled with typographical errors. Clarkin wrote: “I have attempted to trace in the following work the entire production of Mathew Carey from his arrival in America up to the year 1815. In 1963 David Kaser edited the cost books of the firm of Carey and Lea (published by the University of Pennsylvania Press) from 1825 to 1838. Thus, for me to have gone beyond 1824 would have duplicated Kaser’s effort.

Rowe, Kenneth Wyer, Mathew Carey: A Study in American Economic Development, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press, 1933.

Rowe explores Carey’s writings on political economy, and his frustrations in attempting to convince national leaders on the need for protective tariffs. Rowe included a bibliography of many of Carey’s writings.

Manuscripts and Publications

Historical Society of Pennsylvania

The main collections of Carey manuscripts at the Historical Society are in the Edward Carey Gardiner Collection and the Lea and Febiger Collection

The Library Company of Philadelphia

The Library Company has a large collection of books written and published by Mathew Carey.

Other Collections

The University of Pennsylvania, the Boston Public Library, Harvard College, Massachusetts Historical Society, the American Antiquarian Society, the Washington, Biddle, Jefferson, Madison, Clay Webster and Latrobe papers, the Gallatin papers at the New York Historical Society, Columbia University, Yale University, the Connecticut Historical Society, and the Clements Library of the University of Michigan.