Cassell (publisher) facts for kids

Cassell is a famous British company that publishes books. It was started in 1848 by a man named John Cassell. By the 1890s, it had grown into a big international publishing group.

In 1995, Cassell bought another company called Pinter Publishers. Then, in 1998, a company called the Orion Publishing Group bought Cassell. Later, in 2002, some of Cassell's parts, like Cassell Reference and Cassell Military, joined with another group to form Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd. Today, Cassell Illustrated is still a part of the Octopus Publishing Group.

The Story of Cassell

How it All Started

John Cassell (1817–1865) was a very busy man! He started out as a carpenter, then became a preacher, and even sold tea and coffee. Finally, he decided to become a publisher.

His very first publication came out on July 1, 1848. It was a weekly newspaper called The Standard of Freedom. This paper talked about ideas like religious, political, and business freedom. Another popular publication he made was The Working Man's Friend.

By 1849, John Cassell was juggling his publishing work with his grocery business. His company grew so much that in 1851, he rented part of an old London inn called La Belle Sauvage. This inn used to be a theater back in the time of Queen Elizabeth I! The old inn was later taken down in 1873 to build a railway. Cassell then built new offices nearby.

New Partners Join In

John Cassell faced some money troubles and went bankrupt in June 1855. Two partners from a printing company, Thomas Dixon Galpin and George William Petter, bought his publishing company and took on his debts.

From 1855 to 1858, their printing company was known as Petter and Galpin. Their books were published by another company, W. Kent & Co.

In 1858, John Cassell became a junior partner in his own company, which was then called Cassell, Petter & Galpin. Thomas Galpin was known as a very smart business manager.

Later, in 1878, a new partner named Robert Turner joined. The company's name changed again to Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Company.

Growing Bigger

Petter retired in 1883, and the company became Cassell and Company, Ltd. The company kept growing well until 1888. At that time, Petter passed away, and Galpin retired from managing the company. Turner then became the chairman.

By July 1887, Cassell was advertising its books, like Cassell's National Library, with a footer that said "CASSELL & COMPANY, Limited, Ludgate-Hill, London, Paris, New York, and Melbourne." This shows how big they had become, with offices in different countries!

Sir Thomas Wemyss Reid was the general manager until 1905. Then, Arthur Spurgeon took over and really helped the company grow even more. Cassell mostly published magazines, but Spurgeon focused on making their book business strong again.

The Pocahontas Statue

In the early 1950s, Cassell asked a sculptor named David McFall to create a statue of Princess Pocahontas. This statue was for their new offices in Red Lion Square. The larger-than-life statue of Pocahontas was a symbol of their new identity and stood proudly at the entrance of their main building.

As Cassell's business changed over time, they eventually moved from their grand offices. They took the Pocahontas statue with them! It's believed that the statue was sold at an auction in 1996 to someone who collects art.

Changes and Mergers

In 1969, an American company called Crowell Collier & Macmillan bought Cassell. This American company had also bought other publishers like Studio Vista (art books) and Geoffrey Chapman (religious books).

During the 1970s and 1980s, Cassell even had a branch in Australia called Cassell Australia. Later, in 1982, Macmillan Inc. sold Cassell (including Geoffrey Chapman) to CBS. Then, in 1986, CBS sold Cassell in a special kind of sale called a buyout.

In October 1992, Cassell bought another publisher, Victor Gollancz Ltd. The company then became a public company, Cassell plc, in June 1994.

In December 1998, the Orion Publishing Group took over Cassell plc. In October 1999, Cassell's academic and religious book lists (including Geoffrey Chapman and Pinter) joined with an American company called Continuum. They formed the Continuum International Publishing Group.

Cassell's Old Book Series

Cassell published many different series of books over the years. Here are some of them:

• Belle Sauvage Library (1963)
• Cassell's Blue Library (1891)
• Cassell’s National Library (1886-1914)
• Cassell’s Pocket Library (1895, 1928-1955)
• Cassell's Pocket Reference Library (1910)
• Cassell’s Shilling Novels (1885-1934)
• First Novel Library (1966-1971)
• Helicon Poetry Series (1925)
• Little Classics (1909)
• Living Thoughts Library (1939-1950)
• People’s Library (1907-1933)
• Seafarers’ Library (1928-1929)
• The Unknown Library (around 1895)

Cassell's Old Magazines and Journals

Besides books, Cassell also published many popular magazines and journals. These were like today's magazines, coming out regularly with different articles and stories.

Front cover page of the Cassell's Saturday Journal, May 18, 1912 issue.

The Quiver cover illustration by Henry Ryland

• Cassell's Magazine (1864-73)
• Cassell's household guide : being a complete encyclopaedia of domestic and social economy and forming a guide to every department of practical life 1869
• Cassell's Illustrated Travels (around 1872-73)
• Cassell's Family Magazine (1874-97)
• Cassell's Magazine (1897-
• Cassell's Saturday Journal (1883–1921)
• Cassell's Weekly (1923), then T.P.'s & Cassell's Weekly (1923–1927)
• Chums (1892–1934)
• The Echo (1868–1905)
• The Lady's World (1886), then The Woman's World (1887–1890), which was edited by Oscar Wilde
• Little Folks (1871–1933), edited by Sam Hield Hamer (1895–1907)
• The Illustrated Magazine of Art (1853–54), then The Magazine of Art (1878–1904)
• The New Magazine (1909–1927)
• The New Penny Magazine (1898–1902), then The Penny Magazine (1903–1925), and Cassell's Popular Magazine (1925)
• The Quiver (1861–1956)
• The Story-Teller (1907–1937)
• Work (1889–1924)

See also

• Gustave Doré's illustrations for La Grande Bible de Tours