Abraham John Valpy (178619 November 1854) was an English printer and publisher.
Life and career He was the son of the Reading schoolmaster Richard Valpy and was born in that town.
He is remembered in connection with two great undertakings in the department of classical literature. These were reissues of (1) Stephanus' Greek Thesaurus, for which E. H. Barker was chiefly responsible; and (2) Valpy's Delphin Classics,Delphin Classics (A. J. Valpy) – Book Series List, publishinghistory.com. Retrieved on 21 March 2023. a book series of 143 volumes with text drawn from the 18th century French Delphin Classics (Ad usum Delphini) series and with variorum notes, under the editorial superintendence of George Dyer.
He also founded the Classical Journal in 1810 and published the periodical The Museum in the years 1822–1825.
In the years 1813–1828 he published The Pamphleteer, a book series described as being "a collection of the best pamphlets of the day" and which included contributions from William Wilberforce, Jeremy Bentham, George Canning, William Huskisson and Stamford Raffles."Valpy, Abraham John", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online edition), article revision of 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
He also published the Family Classical Library: English Translations of Greek and Latin Classics (52 volumes, 1830–1834)Family Classical Library (A, J. Valpy, publishinghistory.com. Retrieved 19 July 2025. and an edition of the plays and poems of Shakespeare (15 Volumes, 1832–1834).
Personal life In 1813 Abraham Valpy married Harriet Teast (nee Wylde) (1788–1864). His younger brother, William Henry Valpy, migrated to New Zealand where he became a prominent settler in the Dunedin area. William's wife Caroline Valpy and daughters Ellen Jeffreys (née Valpy) and Juliet Valpy achieved a reputation as talented artists in that country.Rosemary Entwisle, "Jeffreys, Ellen Penelope" (entry), Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, 1990. Retrieved 19 July 2025. Another daughter, Arabella Valpy, was instrumental in bringing the Salvation Army to New Zealand and yet another daughter, Catherine Fulton née Valpy, was a New Zealand suffragist. The Dunedin suburbs of Caversham and Forbury were named by William in honour of his Reading roots.
References
Sources ; NB a revised edition of entry published as:
External links Valpy, Abraham John, (1787–1854), Editor and Printer listing of archives at University of Reading and British Library Family Classical Library (A. J. Valpy) at PublishingHistory.com.