Thomas, Isaiah (1749–1831)

US printer and publisher. The foremost 18th-century American publisher, Thomas published over 400 titles, including the most important literary works of the time. He published the first English-language Bible and first dictionary printed in America, the first American edition of the popular Mother Goose's Melody, and a speller that sold 300,000 copies. He was the first major US publisher of children's books. Retiring in affluence in 1802, he wrote a well-regarded two-volume History of Printing in America (1810) and in 1812 founded the American Antiquarian Society.

Thomas was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He learned his trade as a young apprentice and in 1770 cofounded in Boston a tabloid called the Massachusetts Spy; soon becoming sole owner, he made it a pro-patriot organ. After fighting in the American Revolution, he returned to build up a prosperous printing, publishing, and retail bookselling business, centred in Worcester, Massachusetts, with branches in several cities.