Short answers, pulled from the story.
Henry Colburn was born in Chelsea, though official records suggest he was 65 at his death in 1855 while the 1851 census lists him as 66. Historian Michael Sadleir proposed he may have been the illegitimate son of an Englishman and a French mother, explaining his fluency in French and early financial capital.
Henry Colburn acquired Morgan's circulating library on Conduit Street in 1806, marking the start of his publishing empire. He published French novels in their original language under the imprint Chez Colburn before reissuing them in English translation to cater to the British elite.
Henry Colburn published Lady Caroline Lamb's Glenarvon on the 16th of November 1816, which became a roman à clef and a succès de scandale. The novel went through four editions and drew significant attention to Colburn's ability to navigate the boundaries of respectability and controversy.
Henry Colburn launched the New Monthly Magazine and Universal Register in 1814 with the support of Frederic Shoberl. Early editors included John Watkins and Alaric Alexander Watts, and a new series began in 1820 under Thomas Campbell.
Henry Colburn published Thomas Skinner Sturr's anonymous Richmond, or stories in the life of a Bow Street officer in 1827. This work is recognized as the earliest collection of detective stories and demonstrated Colburn's ability to identify and promote genre-specific literature.
Henry Colburn published The Naval and Military Library of Entertainment in 1834, a series comprising 20 volumes from the pens of distinguished officers. This series included works by Marryat and Gleig, focusing on nonfiction subjects such as travel, memoirs, and military-related fiction.