Cresset Press

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The Cresset Press was a publishing company in

Ebury Press within the Random House
Group.

History

Operating from offices at 11

The Pilgrim’s Progress or, on a smaller scale, the elegant four-volume Herrick printed in Oxford’s Fell type, with decorations by Albert Rutherston
.
When the market for books like these collapsed in the thirties, the Cresset Press turned to general publishing, matching best sellers like
John O’Hara with poets like Ruth Pitter and scholars like George Sansom, John Summerson and C. P. Fitzgerald. With John Howard[3][4] as literary adviser the list always contained a strong component of belles lettres (the Cresset Library was a uniquely imaginative series of punctiliously edited reprints), and with James Shand of Shenval Press in charge of production Dennis Cohen’s feeling for the look of his books found a continuing if less luxurious expression.[5]

Other prestigious authors included Carson McCullers. The Cresset Press published the British editions of all her novels and when, in 1951, McCullers spent three months in England, Cohen gave a large reception in her honour that was attended by the leading literati of the day.[6]

After 1967

When the publishing company's two owners retired[7] in 1966,[8] the Cresset Press — characterised as having "a distinguished small list"[7] — became part of the Barrie Group of publishers (which previously comprised Barrie & Rockliff, Herbert Jenkins and Hammond & Hammond).[8][9] After the take-over, Cohen and Howard continued as directors in advisory capacities, and books were produced under the imprint "Barrie and Rockliff/The Cresset Press".

Cresset is now an imprint of the

Ebury Press within the Random House Group, but no titles are currently in print.[10] The company is recorded as "non-trading", but as of March 2024 still files annual returns at Companies House.[11]

Book series

References

  1. ^ "Cresset-Press". Private/Fine Presses. Artunderwraps/ True1st.com. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  2. Tate Gallery
    ."
  3. ^ AP News Archive, 7 February 1988, "Marghanita Laski dies at 72": "She is survived by her husband, publisher John [Eldred] Howard, who founded the Cresset Press".
  4. R. W. Burchfield, "Laski, Marghanita (1915–1988)", rev. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press
    , 2004.
  5. ^ Cassirer and Cohen - draft family genealogy Archived 2014-07-14 at the Wayback Machine, reproduces "Obituary: Mr Dennis Cohen - Publisher and connoisseur" from The Times, 26 February 1970 (not 2 Feb as cited), page 12.
  6. ^ Virginia Spencer Carr, The Lonely Hunter: A Biography of Carson McCullers, Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press, 2003, p. 376.
  7. ^ a b Frank Arthur Mumby, Ian Norrie, Publishing and Bookselling: Part one: From the earliest times to 1870, London: Jonathan Cape, 1974, p. 497.
  8. ^ a b The Publisher, Volumes 180-181, Publishers Circular, Ltd, 1966.
  9. ^ Ion Trewin, Obituary: James Barrie, The Guardian, 24 July 2000.
  10. ^ "Cresset". The Random House Group. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  11. ^ "Cresset Press Limited (The)". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Companies House. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  12. ^ Cresset Library, seriesofseries.com. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  13. ^ Introductions to English Literature, seriesofseries.com. Retrieved 17 May 2023.

External links

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