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William Collins, Sons

January 20, 2023

This article is about the publisher. For the textile company William Hollins & Co, see Viyella.

William Collins, Sons (often referred to as Collins) was a Scottish printing and publishing company founded by a Presbyterian schoolmaster, William Collins, in Glasgow in 1819, in partnership with Charles Chalmers, the younger brother of Thomas Chalmers, minister of Tron Church, Glasgow.[1]

William Collins, Sons
Parent companyHarperCollins
Founded1819
FounderWilliam Collins
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Headquarters locationGlasgow, Scotland (1819)
Publication typesBooks
Official websitecollins.co.uk

Collins merged with Harper & Row in 1990, forming a new publisher named HarperCollins.

History

The company had to overcome many early obstacles, and Charles Chalmers left the business in 1825. The company eventually found success in 1841 as a printer of Bibles, and, in 1848, Collins's son Sir William Collins developed the firm as a publishing venture, specialising in religious and educational books. The company was renamed William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd. in 1868.[2] (The Library of Congress reports W. Collins & Co., or William Collins & Company, Collins & Co., etc., before "sometime in the 1860s", then "William Collins Sons and Co."[3])

Although the early emphasis of the company had been on religion and education, Collins also published more widely. In 1917, with Sir Godfrey Collins in charge, the firm started publishing fiction. Collins Crime Club (1930–94)[4] published all but the first six of Agatha Christie's novels, starting in 1926, as well as the British editions of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe books and many others from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. Upon purchasing the rights to the works of C. S. Lewis, Fount was established as Collins's religion imprint.

Collins ultimately became a diverse and prolific company, publishing a wide range of titles, including many aimed at a juvenile audience, such as the books of Dr. Seuss (in the Commonwealth) and Racey Helps in the 1950s. By the late 1970s, Collins was also responsible for publishing the long-running American Children's Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew series in the United Kingdom. These were firstly published in a series of digest size hardbacks akin to their American style. Paperbacks (of a 'normal' rather than 'digest' size) soon followed from Collins' Armada Books imprint, although the series as published in Great Britain follow a different numbering system to the accepted American one. Collins's Armada Books imprint also published similar series, such as the Three Investigators, alongside such British stalwarts as Biggles, Billy Bunter, and Paddington Bear, and such well-loved authors as Enid Blyton, Malcolm Saville and Diana Pullein-Thompson.

In the years 1941-49 Collins published Britain in Pictures, a series of social history books which were designed to boost morale during the Second World War. Authors included George Orwell, John Piper, Neville Cardus, Cecil Beaton, Vita Sackville-West, David Low, Francis Meynell, Edith Sitwell, Graham Greene and John Betjeman.[5][6][7]

Collins founded its New Naturalist series of nature books relevant to the British Isles in 1945, with Butterflies by E. B. Ford. Three volumes appeared in the summer of 2015.[8]

In 1953, Collins launched its Fontana Books series.[9] Later Fontana Books became a Collins imprint complete with its own series, including the Fontana Monarchs, the Fontana African Fiction series[10] and, from 1970, the Fontana Modern Masters,[11] a series of pocket guides to influential writers, philosophers and other thinkers and theorists of the twentieth century. Other William Collins, Sons, imprints included Fontana Lions and Fontana Young Lions, which published books for children and teenagers, and Grafton Books.[12]

In 1965 Collins began publication of The Companion Guides, a series of illustrated travel guides to France, the Mediterranean lands and the British Isles.[13]

In the mid 1970s, Collins had either closed or moved most of its printing operations out of its historic site in the Townhead area of Glasgow. The land and buildings were purchased by the University of Strathclyde who redeveloped much of the site, with the massive warehouse building on Cathedral Street being converted into a new home for the Andersonian Library in 1980.

News Corporation acquired a 40% stake in 1981. In 1983, Collins acquired the publishing operations of Granada. News Corporation became sole owner in 1989. In 1990, the company was merged with US publisher Harper & Row to form HarperCollins.[14] Collins became an imprint of HarperCollins.

On 8 February 2013 it was announced that some parts of the Collins non-fiction imprint would be merged with the HarperPress imprint to form a new William Collins imprint.[15]

Collins Education

Collins Education, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, is the third-largest educational publishing house in the United Kingdom.

It publishes print and interactive digital products for primary and secondary teachers in the United Kingdom and internationally.

In 2010, Collins Education acquired Belair Creative, a British publisher specialising in art and design resources for British primary students; Letts and Lonsdale,[16] a major UK publisher of revision guides; and Leckie & Leckie, a Scottish educational publisher.[17]

In 2011, Collins Education launched Collins Online Learning, an online learning platform for students and teachers.[18]

References

  1. ^ Records of William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, publishers, Glasgow, Scotland, Archives Hub, archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  2. ^ Keir, David (1952). The House of Collins: The Story of a Scottish Family of Publishers from 1789 to the Present Day. Collins: London. ISBN B00005XH0X.
  3. ^ "Library of Congress LCCN Permalink nr2001016410". Retrieved 31 May 2021. LCCN nr20-10164
  4. ^ Collins Crime Club: A Brief History by R.D. Collins, 2004. classiccrimefiction.com, 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  5. ^ Collecting the Britain in Pictures series, abebooks.com. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  6. ^ Buying into Britain in Pictures, theguardian.com, 16 October 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  7. ^ Publishing History > Britain in Pictures - Book Series List, publishinghistory.com. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  8. ^ No. 128, Lakes, Loughs and Lochs by Brian Moss; No. 129, Alien Plants by Clive A. Stace and Michael J. Crawley; No. 130, Yorkshire Dales by John Lee. (The New Naturalists Online Retrieved 31 May 2021)
  9. ^ Richard Williams, FONTANA BOOKS, 1-500: 1953-1961, South Humberside, Dragonby Press, 1997 (British Paperback Checklist, 14).
  10. ^ Josh MacPhee, 251: Fontana Africa (compiled), justseeds.org. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  11. ^ Fontana Modern Masters, fontanamodernmasters.org. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  12. ^ David Leigh, "MI5 officers break silence on Blunt", The Observer, 26 October 1986, p. 2.
  13. ^ Violet Grant, "France for the English", The Daily Telegraph (London), 26 July 1963, p. 17.
  14. ^ Cohen, Roger (11 June 1990). "THE MEDIA BUSINESS; Birth of a Global Book Giant". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  15. ^ Farrington, Joshua (8 February 2013). "HarperCollins merges non-fiction divisions". Bookseller. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
  16. ^ "Letts Sold to HarperCollins". The Bookseller. 4 March 2010.
  17. ^ Leckie & Leckie
  18. ^ Collins Online Learning

Further reading

  • Thomas Burke, English Inns - example of Britain in Pictures series
  • Michaael Carney, Britain in Pictures: A History and Bibliography, Werner Shaw, 1995.

External links

  • Official website  
  • William Collins Sons and Co at Library of Congress Authorities, with 100 catalogue records

January 20, 2023
william, collins, sons, this, article, about, publisher, textile, company, william, hollins, viyella, often, referred, collins, scottish, printing, publishing, company, founded, presbyterian, schoolmaster, william, collins, glasgow, 1819, partnership, with, ch. This article is about the publisher For the textile company William Hollins amp Co see Viyella William Collins Sons often referred to as Collins was a Scottish printing and publishing company founded by a Presbyterian schoolmaster William Collins in Glasgow in 1819 in partnership with Charles Chalmers the younger brother of Thomas Chalmers minister of Tron Church Glasgow 1 William Collins SonsParent companyHarperCollinsFounded1819FounderWilliam CollinsCountry of originUnited KingdomHeadquarters locationGlasgow Scotland 1819 Publication typesBooksOfficial websitecollins wbr co wbr ukCollins merged with Harper amp Row in 1990 forming a new publisher named HarperCollins Contents 1 History 2 Collins Education 3 References 4 Further reading 5 External linksHistory EditThe company had to overcome many early obstacles and Charles Chalmers left the business in 1825 The company eventually found success in 1841 as a printer of Bibles and in 1848 Collins s son Sir William Collins developed the firm as a publishing venture specialising in religious and educational books The company was renamed William Collins Sons and Co Ltd in 1868 2 The Library of Congress reports W Collins amp Co or William Collins amp Company Collins amp Co etc before sometime in the 1860s then William Collins Sons and Co 3 Although the early emphasis of the company had been on religion and education Collins also published more widely In 1917 with Sir Godfrey Collins in charge the firm started publishing fiction Collins Crime Club 1930 94 4 published all but the first six of Agatha Christie s novels starting in 1926 as well as the British editions of Rex Stout s Nero Wolfe books and many others from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction Upon purchasing the rights to the works of C S Lewis Fount was established as Collins s religion imprint Collins ultimately became a diverse and prolific company publishing a wide range of titles including many aimed at a juvenile audience such as the books of Dr Seuss in the Commonwealth and Racey Helps in the 1950s By the late 1970s Collins was also responsible for publishing the long running American Children s Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew series in the United Kingdom These were firstly published in a series of digest size hardbacks akin to their American style Paperbacks of a normal rather than digest size soon followed from Collins Armada Books imprint although the series as published in Great Britain follow a different numbering system to the accepted American one Collins s Armada Books imprint also published similar series such as the Three Investigators alongside such British stalwarts as Biggles Billy Bunter and Paddington Bear and such well loved authors as Enid Blyton Malcolm Saville and Diana Pullein Thompson In the years 1941 49 Collins published Britain in Pictures a series of social history books which were designed to boost morale during the Second World War Authors included George Orwell John Piper Neville Cardus Cecil Beaton Vita Sackville West David Low Francis Meynell Edith Sitwell Graham Greene and John Betjeman 5 6 7 Collins founded its New Naturalist series of nature books relevant to the British Isles in 1945 with Butterflies by E B Ford Three volumes appeared in the summer of 2015 8 In 1953 Collins launched its Fontana Books series 9 Later Fontana Books became a Collins imprint complete with its own series including the Fontana Monarchs the Fontana African Fiction series 10 and from 1970 the Fontana Modern Masters 11 a series of pocket guides to influential writers philosophers and other thinkers and theorists of the twentieth century Other William Collins Sons imprints included Fontana Lions and Fontana Young Lions which published books for children and teenagers and Grafton Books 12 In 1965 Collins began publication of The Companion Guides a series of illustrated travel guides to France the Mediterranean lands and the British Isles 13 In the mid 1970s Collins had either closed or moved most of its printing operations out of its historic site in the Townhead area of Glasgow The land and buildings were purchased by the University of Strathclyde who redeveloped much of the site with the massive warehouse building on Cathedral Street being converted into a new home for the Andersonian Library in 1980 News Corporation acquired a 40 stake in 1981 In 1983 Collins acquired the publishing operations of Granada News Corporation became sole owner in 1989 In 1990 the company was merged with US publisher Harper amp Row to form HarperCollins 14 Collins became an imprint of HarperCollins On 8 February 2013 it was announced that some parts of the Collins non fiction imprint would be merged with the HarperPress imprint to form a new William Collins imprint 15 Collins Education EditCollins Education an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers is the third largest educational publishing house in the United Kingdom It publishes print and interactive digital products for primary and secondary teachers in the United Kingdom and internationally In 2010 Collins Education acquired Belair Creative a British publisher specialising in art and design resources for British primary students Letts and Lonsdale 16 a major UK publisher of revision guides and Leckie amp Leckie a Scottish educational publisher 17 In 2011 Collins Education launched Collins Online Learning an online learning platform for students and teachers 18 References Edit Records of William Collins Sons and Co Ltd publishers Glasgow Scotland Archives Hub archiveshub jisc ac uk Retrieved 31 July 2022 Keir David 1952 The House of Collins The Story of a Scottish Family of Publishers from 1789 to the Present Day Collins London ISBN B00005XH0X Library of Congress LCCN Permalink nr2001016410 Retrieved 31 May 2021 LCCN nr20 10164 Collins Crime Club A Brief History by R D Collins 2004 classiccrimefiction com 2013 Retrieved 11 December 2013 Archived here Collecting the Britain in Pictures series abebooks com Retrieved 31 July 2022 Buying into Britain in Pictures theguardian com 16 October 2009 Retrieved 31 July 2022 Publishing History gt Britain in Pictures Book Series List publishinghistory com Retrieved 31 July 2022 No 128 Lakes Loughs and Lochs by Brian Moss No 129 Alien Plants by Clive A Stace and Michael J Crawley No 130 Yorkshire Dales by John Lee The New Naturalists Online Retrieved 31 May 2021 Richard Williams FONTANA BOOKS 1 500 1953 1961 South Humberside Dragonby Press 1997 British Paperback Checklist 14 Josh MacPhee 251 Fontana Africa compiled justseeds org Retrieved 27 October 2019 Fontana Modern Masters fontanamodernmasters org Retrieved 27 October 2019 David Leigh MI5 officers break silence on Blunt The Observer 26 October 1986 p 2 Violet Grant France for the English The Daily Telegraph London 26 July 1963 p 17 Cohen Roger 11 June 1990 THE MEDIA BUSINESS Birth of a Global Book Giant The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 14 December 2017 Farrington Joshua 8 February 2013 HarperCollins merges non fiction divisions Bookseller Retrieved 20 February 2013 Letts Sold to HarperCollins The Bookseller 4 March 2010 Leckie amp Leckie Collins Online LearningFurther reading EditThomas Burke English Inns example of Britain in Pictures series Michaael Carney Britain in Pictures A History and Bibliography Werner Shaw 1995 External links EditOfficial website William Collins Sons and Co at Library of Congress Authorities with 100 catalogue records Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title William Collins Sons amp oldid 1101450977, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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