Chambers (publisher)
Company type | Subsidiary | |
---|---|---|
Industry | Parent John Murray | |
Website | chambers |
Chambers is a reference publisher formerly based in Edinburgh, Scotland, which held the property rights of W. & R. Chambers Publishers.
History of Chambers
Chambers was founded as W. & R. Chambers Publishers by the two brothers
Although they had had a modest beginning, the brothers began to do well. They had no training in printing and binding but together they printed, bound and published 750 copies of The Songs of Robert Burns in around 1819. This was the nearest thing to a guaranteed best-seller in 19th-century Edinburgh, and brought further profits and some fame.
In 1824, Robert wrote, and the brothers published, Traditions of Edinburgh. Education was always the main priority for William and Robert.[1] In 1832, they published The Chambers Journal, a weekly newspaper containing articles on subjects such as history, religion, language and science, many of which were written by Robert himself. It was an immediate success and within a few years the weekly circulation had risen to 84,000 copies. This put an end to their struggle to survive although they still had to work hard.
Between 1859 and 1868 they published their most important work to date, the renowned
Chambers also published an extensive list of innovative and ultra-reliable language and reference titles, covering English-language dictionaries, thesauruses, bilingual dictionaries, and specialist titles on subjects such as biography, quotations, literary characters, science and technology and world history.
In 1989, Chambers was acquired by
Havas acquired CEP in 1997; Havas was then acquired by Vivendi in 1998. Vivendi sold its European book publishing to Lagardère Group in 2002.[7]
At the end of 2009, the parent company shut the Edinburgh premises of Chambers Harrap Publishers. The Chambers imprint was managed from London by
A subsidiary, Allied Chambers, publishes the titles for the market in and around India.[9]
Current publications
Chambers Harrap Publishers is best known for its flagship title, The Chambers Dictionary, which contains more words and definitions than any other single-volume dictionary and is known for its occasionally humorous definitions. The Chambers list is currently split into the following areas:
- Dictionaries
- Thesauruses
- Language Reference
- Subject Reference
- School Range
- Crosswords
- Puzzles
- Games
- Phrasebooks
- Adult Learners' Range
Slang
At the end of 2007 Chambers Harrap Publishers acquired the rights to publish the renowned British slang lexicographer Jonathon Green's Slang Dictionary as Chambers Slang Dictionary, originally published by Cassell of the Orion Publishing Group. This new edition was published in October 2008.
Brewer's
On 1 January 2008, Chambers Harrap Publishers acquired the Brewer's list from Orion Publishing Group, including the famous Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable.
See also
- For other history and founders:
- Robert Chambers.
- George G. Harrap and Co.
- Chambers's Encyclopaedia
- The Chambers Dictionary
- Harrap's Shorter French Dictionary
- William Chambers of Glenormiston
- Ebenezer Cobham Brewer
References
- ^ "W & R Chambers and the collection history".
- ^ Law, M. D. "Preface" in Chambers's Encyclopædia. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 1, pp. vii-x.
- ^ Chambers’s Encyclopaedia Encyclopædia Britannica Online, 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
- ^ "Six Years' Work On Encyclopaedia" in The Times, 25 April 1950, p. 8. The Times Digital Archive. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
- ^ "Encyclopaedia Editor Retires". The Times. No. 55,792. 29 August 1963. p. 10 – via The Times Digital Archive.
- ISBN 978-1-134-01187-2.
- ProQuest 398881177.
- ^ "Chambers Harrap Edinburgh base to close | The Bookseller". Retrieved 29 November 2019.
- ISBN 81-86062-32-7.
This edition ... is published by Allied Chambers (India) Ltd., 2001 by arrangement with Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd., ... for sale in India and specified territories only
The distribution sub-subsidiary of Allied Chambers is given as Allied Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
Further reading
- Fyfe, Aileen (2012). Steam-Powered Knowledge: William Chambers and the Business of Publishing, 1820-1860. Chicago, London: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-27651-9.