Hamlyn
Hamlyn is a UK publishing company founded by Paul Hamlyn in 1950 with an initial investment of £350. His desire was to create "fine books with the common touch" which remains the foundation of its commercial success. It is part of the Octopus Publishing Group, now owned by Hachette Livre.
Also recorded as Paul Hamlyn publishers
Hamlyn
- Name
- Hamlyn
- Founded
- Hamlyn was established or created in 1950.
- Founder
- Paul Hamlyn.
- Headquarters
- Hamlyn has its headquarters at London.
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
gnd · 1335505644 · wikidata · Q5645521
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Hamlyn • Parent — Octopus Books • Founder — Paul Hamlyn • Country — United Kingdom • Headquarters — London • Publications — Books • Imprints — * Sun Books (1968–71) • Godsfield Press (2003–present) • Gaia Books (2004–present) • Url — hamlyn.co.uk
History
History
Paul Hamlyn sold the company to the International Publishing Company (now TI Media) in 1964, but stayed on until 1969. In 1964 Hamlyn commenced in Australia under the management of Kevin Weldon. It owned an interest in the Australian independent paperback publisher Sun Books from 1968 until 1971 when Macmillan Australia acquired that company. In 1975 the Hamlyn Group acquired "a 51 per cent control of Hanna Barbera Australia, an animation production house" and in 1978, James Hardie purchased the Hamlyn Group, that included Hanna Barbera Australia, as well as Rigby Publishers. Paul Hamlyn bought the company back in 1986 and added it to the holdings of his new company, Octopus Books. Octopus was sold in 1987 to Reed International. Hamlyn's children's division was sold to the Egmont Group in 1998. Hachette Livre bought Octopus in 2001. Hamlyn is an international publisher of non-fiction illustrated books. Two thirds of the business is in international, North American and export markets. Since 2003 the publisher has made two significant acquisitions: Godsfield Press was acquired by Hamlyn in October 2003. It is a niche international publisher of illustrated books for the spirituality and alternative health market. Gaia Books was acquired in March 2004. It is a producer of international co-editions in the field of alternative philosophies and lifestyle. Octopus Books was sold to Lagardère Group and managed under Lagardère Publishing.
Institutional history
Dated record
Institutional history
Explore 1950
The full dated record · 3 entries
1950
Hamlyn established.
1950
Hamlyn is recorded from 1950.
1950
Hamlyn was established or created in 1950.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Hamlyn is situated in United Kingdom.
Country
Hamlyn is associated with United Kingdom.
Country
Notable books
• Everyday Cook Book in Colour (1968) • Hamlyn Junior Encyclopaedia of Nature (1974) • The Hamlyn Book of Wild Flowers (1981) • Hamlyn Book of Legendary Creatures by Tom McGowen (1982) • The Hamlyn Book of Horror and S.F. Movie Lists (1983) • The Hamlyn Book of Plant Names (1985) • By Daniel Farson: • The Hamlyn Book of Ghosts in Fact and Fiction (1978) • The Hamlyn Book of Horror (1979) • The Hamlyn Book of Monsters (1984)
Primary material
Context
The circumstances in which Hamlyn stands. Established or created in 1950. Recorded as publishing house. Hamlyn has its headquarters at London. Situated in United Kingdom.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Hamlyn (publisher), revision 1371402449 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Hachette Acquires Octopus. publishersweekly.com.
- 2.Andrew Urban, Rising star Australian Financial Review 8 October 1995
- 3."Beaver Books" + Hamlyn, worldcat.org. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- 4.Hamlyn All-Colour Paperbacks - Book Series List, publishinghistory.com. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
- 5.Hamlyn All-Colour Paperbacks, collectingbooksandmagazines.com. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
- 6.Hamlyn All-Colour Paperbacks, schoolreading70sbooks.weebly.com. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
- 7."Merlin Books" + Hamlyn, publishinghistory.com. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- 8.The Portraits of Greatness Series (Hamlyn) - Book Series List, publishinghistory.com. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 2
- Munro, Craig. Paper Empires: A History of the Book in Australia 1946-2005. University of Queensland. 69–72. 2006. 978-0702235597.
- Guthrie, Richard. Publishing: Principles and Practice. Sage Publishing. 92. 2011. 978-1847870148.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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