The Shadow of Great Britain-Chapter 1617 - 30: Transatlantic Standard Publishing Business

"Miss Lily? Hmm... I seem to have heard that name somewhere..."

Arthur pondered for a moment, then suddenly clapped his hands as if recalling something, "Ah! I remember now. The manager of the Alhambra theater highly recommended this young lady to me, but unfortunately, she was on leave that day, so I couldn’t witness her elegance and demeanor in person."

Conroy still maintained his Oxford accent, but the slight break in his voice betrayed his anxious mood, "That’s truly a pity, but if you have the time, you should really find another occasion to watch her performance. Her light dance steps, the subtle expressions when she spins, she’s simply born for the stage. That tension mixing devotion and rebellion is like Beatrice walking out from Dante’s Divine Comedy!"

Seeing Conroy’s keen interest in the leading actress, Arthur instead showed hesitation.

"Perhaps Miss Lily is indeed as excellent as you say, but..." Arthur displayed a retreating attitude, "You might not know, whether this play succeeds is very important to me—no, to me and my friends, to the Empire Publishing Company that’s preparing to go public."

Conroy was left confused by Arthur’s words, "What is the Empire Publishing Company? Are publishers planning to go public on the London Stock Exchange in this era?"

Arthur sighed, holding his forehead, "You should know I’m one of the shareholders of The Times, right?"

Conroy nodded slightly, "Of course, your connection with The Times, including you being Arthur Sigma, the author of the Hastings Case Files, is almost an open secret within the circle. Are you saying The Times is going public?"

Seeing Conroy’s curiosity, Arthur had no choice but to "reluctantly" explain the entire matter from the beginning.

However, in his account, the biggest reason for The Times going public wasn’t about gaining public opinion or showing defiance to some ministers on Downing Street who disapproved of him, but a regular commercial act: to raise funds for industry expansion.

Besides, Arthur "accidentally" emphasized Rothschild Bank’s proactive offer to "act as the sponsor for the Empire Publishing Company’s public listing."

Of course, since Arthur was so accidentally indiscreet, he inevitably mentioned Rothschild Bank’s intention to inject their 20% shareholding in The Times into the Empire Publishing Company.

Conroy, suddenly exposed to so many business secrets, found his mind somewhat muddled.

However, what shocked him more wasn’t the news of The Times going public, but the fact that the Empire Publishing Company, which was under preparation, surprisingly included The Economist and Nature magazines.

Compared to The Times, a literary magazine for entertainment, The Economist, renowned for its economic and political essays, was undoubtedly a synonym for high-end and upper-class.

Although The Economist’s circulation couldn’t compare to The Times, carrying a copy of The Economist in your armpit was gradually becoming part of shaping a financial professional image in the London Financial City.

As bankers, stockbrokers, and insurance agents, you might not read The Economist, but even just for appearances, you should buy a copy.

As for Nature, that was even more remarkable.

Although Nature was filled with obscure professional jargon, far less comprehensible than family science magazines, its significance to Britain, especially to the Royal Society, was unusual.

Since 1827, when Sir Humphry Davy, Faraday’s mentor and the 25th president of the Royal Society, resigned due to illness, the scientists at the Royal Society have been engaged in a prolonged struggle around the presidency with the government and the Royal Family.

These scientists firmly opposed the Royal Society becoming a political institution and even claimed that all those nobles, politicians, and wealthy individuals with undeserved reputations in the society must be expelled.

Although they derailed Sir Pier’s plan to be elected as the new president, the title ultimately fell onto the head of the Duke of Sussex from the Royal Family.

While the Duke of Sussex, after taking office, proved himself not only a competent president but also a promoter of scientific endeavors through a series of reforms.

Under his leadership, the organizational model of the Royal Society bade farewell to crude management, and specialized, refined departmental committees symbolizing professionalization were established one after another. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Moreover, the Duke of Sussex organized professional committees to draft and promulgate explicit standards and rules for awarding society prizes like the Copley Medal.

After these reforms, many scientists significantly changed their views on the Duke of Sussex.

However, this still did not prevent a considerable number of scientists from disliking the president because the Duke of Sussex did not reduce the bloated membership list of the Royal Society according to their wishes.

So far, the membership eligibility criteria of the Royal Society still followed the 1730 regulations: a candidate only needed to submit proof along with the names of three sponsors to apply for membership.

What aggravated the scientists more was that there were no limits on the number of membership applications and elections in a year.

To silence this group of scientists, the Duke of Sussex, upon returning from Gottingen to London, followed his arrangement with Arthur to assist some controversial Royal Society members in "producing" academic achievements by publishing papers in Nature.