Harper Collins

Harper Collins is one of the world’s foremost English-language publishers. Collins' Armada Books imprint published 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, JRR Tolkien and Agatha Christie. They are probably most famous for publishing the Collins English Dictionary.

In 1819 millworker William Collins, from Glasgow, set up a company for printing and publishing pamphlets, sermons, hymn books and prayer books. The first book published was The Christian and Civic Economy of Large Towns. He also published the first dictionary - Greek and English Lexicon. The company began publishing Illustrated Dictionaries and obtained a licence to print and publish the Bible around 1840.

The original Harper Brothers Company was established in New York City in 1817 and over the years published the works of Mark Twain, the Bronte Sisters, Thackeray, Dickens, John F Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.

In the 1980’s Collins was acquired by News International, bringing together Collins, Harper & Row, Gower Publishing, Times Books, Bartholomew and Angus & Robertson.  In 1991 HarperCollins Publishers became the worldwide company name.

The company has published books by famous authors such as Ray Bradbury (Science Fiction), Michael Bond (Paddington Books), Clive Barker (Hellraiser series) Gordon Ramsay and David Beckham.