Robert Aitken (publisher)

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Robert Aitken (1734–1802) was a Philadelphia printer and the first to publish a Bible in the newly formed United States. He was born in Dalkeith, Scotland.

He started in Philadelphia as a bookseller in 1769 and 1771. He started publication of The Pennsylvania Magazine in 1775, continuing through 1776. He also printed copies of the New Testament in 1777, 1778, 1779, and 1781.

The war with Britain cut off the supply of Bibles to the United States with the result that on September 11, 1777, the Continental Congress passed a motion that would have instructed its Committee of Commerce to import 20,000 Bibles from "Scotland, Holland or elsewhere." This, however, was not a final vote. A second motion was made to pass an actual resolution to import the Bibles, but was postponed and never considered again. On January 21, 1781, Aitken petitioned Congress to certify his version of the Bible which he had already printed as being textually accurate. Congress agreed to his request to endorse his Bible as accurate to help out the American printing industry, but denied his other requests that his Bible "be published under the Authority of Congress," and that he be "be commissioned or otherwise appointed & Authorized to print and vend Editions of the Sacred Scriptures." Despite the endorsement by Congress, the 7 year interruption in the availability of Bibles, and over a year without any competition from imports, his Bible was a commercial failure and he ended up losing over £3,000 on the 10,000 Bibles he printed. His later attempt to have Congress buy his Bibles and give them to soldiers being discharged was rejected by Congress. He died in Philadelphia in 1802.