John Blackwood (1818-1879) was a Scottish publisher, younger brother of William Blackwood. John succeeded his brother as head of the business in 1834, on William's death; four years later he was joined by Major William Blackwood, who continued in the firm until his death in 1861. In 1862 the major's elder son, William Blackwood (b. 1836), was taken into partnership. John Blackwood was a man of strong personality and great business discernment; it was in the pages of his magazine that George Eliot's first stories, Scenes of Clerical Life, appeared. He also inaugurated the "Ancient Classics for English readers" series.