Richard Henry Major (3 October 1818 – 25 June 1912) was a prominent British geographer and librarian, best known for his extensive work on the history of early voyages of discovery.
Born in London, Major spent the majority of his career at the British Museum, where he joined the Department of Printed Books in 1844. He rose through the ranks, eventually serving as the Keeper of Maps and Charts from 1867 until his retirement in 1880.
Major was a prolific scholar and editor, with a particular focus on cartography and the accounts of early explorers. He was a key figure in the Hakluyt Society, a text publication society dedicated to publishing rare and out-of-print accounts of historic voyages, travels, and other geographical material. He served as the society's honorary secretary from 1849 to 1858 and again from 1861 to 1880, and was also its vice-president from 1858 to 1861 and from 1880 to 1893. His contributions to the Hakluyt Society included editing several important volumes, such as:
- Select Letters of Columbus (1847)
- India in the Fifteenth Century (1857)
- Early Voyages to Terra Australis (1859)
- The Life of Prince Henry of Portugal, Surnamed the Navigator (1868)
Major's meticulous research and editorial skills helped to bring many significant historical documents to a wider audience, shedding light on the history of exploration and geographical knowledge. He was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and a member of numerous other learned societies. His work provided invaluable resources for historians, geographers, and cartographers for generations. He died in London at the age of 93.
See Also:
- [[British Museum]]
- [[Hakluyt Society]]
- [[History of cartography]]
- [[Age of Discovery]]