During Carey's lifetime, the publishing firm evolved to M. Carey & Son (1817–1821), M. Carey & Sons (1821–1824), and then to Carey & Lea (1824). Carey retired in 1825, leaving the publishing business to his son, Henry Charles Carey and son-in-law Isaac Lea. Lea and Henry Carey made the business successful and, for a time it was one of the most prominent publishers in the country. The business published such works as: "The Encyclopedia Americana", A dictionary of German lexicon, as well as American editions of the works of Sir Walter Scott and James Fenimore Cooper.