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Odhams Press was a British publishing company, operating from 1920 to 1968. Originally a magazine publisher, Odhams later expanded into book publishing and then children's comics. The company was acquired by Fleetway Publications in 1961 and then IPC Magazines in 1963. In its final incarnation, Odhams was known for its Power Comics line of titles, notable for publishing reprints of American
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in 19 ...
superheroes.


History


William Odhams; Odhams Bros.

In 1834 William Odhams left Sherborne,
Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of ...
, for London, where he initially worked for ''
The Morning Post ''The Morning Post'' was a conservative daily newspaper published in London from 1772 to 1937, when it was acquired by ''The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British d ...
''. In 1847, he went into partnership with William Biggar in Beaufort Buildings,
Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. ...
, London; and in the 1870s he started the business known as William Odhams. Originally a jobbing printer and
newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sport ...
publisher, William Odhams sold the business to his two sons, John Lynch Odhams and William James Baird Odhams, in 1892. The business, then a small printing firm in Hart Street employing about twenty people, became known as Odhams Bros.


Magazine and book publishing

Odhams Limited was created in 1898.
Julius Elias Julius Elias (12 July 1861 – 2 July 1927) was a German art historian, literary historian and translator. He was born in Hoya and died in Berlin. his parents were Louis Juda Elias and Helene Elias. He was a lecturer in art history at the Tec ...
, who left school at the age of 13 before going to work as an office boy at Odhams Bros, worked his way up to become managing director and eventually chairman of the firm, which after a merger with '' John Bull'' in 1920 took the name Odhams Press Ltd. That same year, the company also founded '' Ideal Home'' and acquired the equestrian magazine '' Horse & Hound''. Odhams acquired a 51% share in the
Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in England and Wales, representing the majority of trade unions. There are 48 affiliated unions, with a total of about 5.5 million members. Frances O ...
paper the ''
Daily Herald Daily or The Daily may refer to: Journalism * Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks * ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times'' * ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...
'' in 1930 (by that point, Odhams was already publishing '' The Sunday People''). A promotion campaign ensued, and in 1933, the ''Herald'' became the world's best-selling daily newspaper, with certified net sales of 2 million. This accomplishment set off a war with more conservative London papers, such as the '' Daily Express''. By 1937 Odhams had founded the first colour weekly, ''
Woman A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regard ...
'', for which it set up and operated a dedicated high-speed print works. Later, Odhams expanded into book publishing, for example publishing Winston Churchill's ''Painting as a Pastime'' (1965), Rupert Gunnis's '' Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660–1851'' (1953), and an edition of the complete works of
William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
. In 1954, Odhams Press Hall was built in
Watford Watford () is a town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal en ...
, designed by Yates, Cook and Derbyshire. The building was later protected by the Watford Borough Council because of the innovative
clock tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another build ...
, which houses a water tank for use in printing. In the 1950s, Odhams was one of London's three leading magazine publishers – along with
Newnes Newnes (), an abandoned oil shale mining site of the Wolgan Valley, is located in the Central Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. The site that was operational in the early 20th century is now partly surrounded by Wollemi Na ...
/ Pearson and the Hulton Press. Throughout the 1960s, Odhams Books Ltd (likewise founded by Odhams Press) operated the Companion Book Club (CBC). This published a large series of hardcover novels.


Children's comics and acquisition by Fleetway/IPC

Odhams published '' Mickey Mouse Weekly'' from the 1930s (acquiring it from Willbank Publications), which featured American reprints as well as original British Disney comics material, including a number of non-Disney-related strips. Odhams lost the rights to Disney characters in 1957, and almost immediately launched the weekly comic ''Zip'', which inherited the non-Disney strips from ''Mickey Mouse Weekly''. In 1959, Odhams purchased
George Newnes Ltd George Newnes Ltd is a British publisher. The company was founded in 1891 by George Newnes (1851–1910), considered a founding father of popular journalism. Newnes published such magazines and periodicals as '' Tit-Bits'', '' The Wide World Mag ...
"George Newnes Co,"
''Grace's Guide to British Industrial History''. Retrieved 1 Apr. 2021.
as well as its imprint C. Arthur Pearson Ltd. Notable comics titles originally published by Pearson and continued by Odhams included the
romance comics Romance comics is a comics genre depicting strong and close romantic love and its attendant complications such as jealousy, marriage, divorce, betrayal, and heartache. The term is generally associated with an American comic books genre published ...
''Mirabelle'' and ''Marty'', and the ''Picture Stories'' and ''Picture Library'' series. In 1959–1960, Odhams acquired Hulton Press, renaming it
Longacre Press Longacre Press was a publisher based in Dunedin, New Zealand. The company was founded in 1995 by Barbara Larson, Paula Boock, and Lynsey Ferrari, three former workers at Dunedin's McIndoe Publishing.Cawley, N.,Publish and be praised", ''New Z ...
,. thus taking over publication of the children's comics ''
Eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...
'', ''
Girl A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. When a girl becomes an adult, she is accurately described as a '' woman''. However, the term ''girl'' is also used for other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionar ...
'', '' Swift'', and ''
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''. In 1960 Cecil Harmsworth King, chairman of the ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ci ...
'' newspaper, made an approach to Odhams on behalf of Fleetway Publications (formerly the Amalgamated Press). Odhams' board found this too attractive to refuse and, in 1961, Odhams was taken over by Fleetway.Birch, Paul
"Speaking Frankly,"
''Birmingham Mail'' (14 December 2008).
In 1963 its holdings were amalgamated with those of Fleetway and others to form the International Publishing Corporation (known as IPC). Between 1964 and 1968 Odhams operated as a subsidiary of IPC. Odhams' "juveniles" (i.e., children's comics) competed for readers with
DC Thomson DC Thomson is a media company based in Dundee, Scotland. Founded by David Couper Thomson in 1905, it is best known for publishing '' The Dundee Courier'', '' The Evening Telegraph'' and ''The Sunday Post'' newspapers, and the comics '' Oor ...
, publisher of such popular titles as '' The Beano'', ''
The Dandy ''The Dandy'' was a British children's comic magazine published by the Dundee based publisher DC Thomson. The first issue was printed in December 1937, making it the world's third-longest running comic, after '' Il Giornalino'' (cover dated 1 ...
'', and ''
Commando 40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations forc ...
''. Alf Wallace, who had found success at Fleetway with his line of ''
War Picture Library ''War Picture Library'' was a British 64-page "pocket library" war comic magazine title published by Amalgamated Press/Fleetway (now owned by IPC Magazines) for 2103 issues. Each issue featured a complete story, beginning on 1 September 1958 ...
'' comics, was brought over to oversee Odhams' comics line. He was, however, unable to reverse the declining popularity of ''Eagle'' and ''Swift'', or succeed with ''
Boys' World ''Boys' World'' was a boys' comic magazine published in the UK by Longacre Press (UK), Longacre Press. It ran for 89 issues beginning on 26 January 1963, and in 1964 it merged with the ''Eagle (comic), Eagle''. ''Boys' World'' featured the mytho ...
'', launched in 1963.Coates, Alan and David. "Smash!" ''British Comic World'' #3 (A. & D. Coates, June 1984). In fact, by early 1964, ''Swift'' and ''Boys' World'' had both been absorbed by ''Eagle'', which, along with ''Girl'', was then taken over by IPC. In desperation, Wallace recruited veteran cartoonist Leo Baxendale, who had worked for DC Thomson for many years, to create a new, energetic comics weekly. Baxendale's ''Wham!'' debuted on 20 June 1964, breaking the mould of traditional British humour strips with its use of bizarre humour, outrageous puns, and surreal plots. With the success of ''
Wham! Wham! (briefly known in the US as Wham! U.K.) were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981. The duo consisted of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They became one of the most commercially successful pop acts of the 1980s, selling more ...
'', the next title in the new line, '' Smash!'', debuted on 5 February 1966. With Odhams acquiring the
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in 19 ...
license in early 1966,
The Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book ...
became the first Marvel superhero to show up in an Odhams title when he debuted in ''Smash!'' #16 (21 May 1966). The popularity of that strip led to ''Wham!'' adding
Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first ...
reprints beginning 6 August 1966. In late 1966, with two Odhams' titles featuring superheroes (and the third, '' Pow!'', on the way), the Power Comics line was created. The line, which also came to include '' Fantastic'' and '' Terrific'', was notable for its use of superhero material reprinted from Marvel, serving as an introduction of this new breed of American superheroes to UK readers.


Close of business

In 1968 Odhams encountered financial problems, partly due to unfavourable economic conditions in Britain. As a result of this, and of IPC's desire to rationalise its titles and eliminate duplication, the comics published by the Odhams Press imprint were closed or transferred to IPC Magazines Ltd, another IPC subsidiary. This contained the losses on the Power Comics range within Odhams, which was a limited company with separate liability, but, in consequence, Odhams became financially unviable. On 1 January 1969 it effectively ceased to exist as a publishing business, when publication of its last surviving comics title, '' Smash!'', was taken over by IPC. (In 1971, ''Smash!'' merged with the IPC title ''
Valiant Valiant may refer to: People * James Valiant (1884–1917), English cricketer * The Valiant Brothers, a professional wrestling tag team of storyline brothers ** Jerry Valiant, a ring name of professional wrestler John Hill (1941-2010) ** Jimmy ...
''.)


Newspapers

* ''
Daily Herald Daily or The Daily may refer to: Journalism * Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks * ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times'' * ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...
'' (1930–1964) * '' The Sunday People'' (circa 1920–circa 1963) * '' The Sun'' (1964–1969)


Magazines

* ''
Geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...
'' (1965–1968) * '' Horse & Hound'' (from 1920) * '' Ideal Home'' (founded 1920) * '' John Bull'' (1920–1964) * '' Kinematograph Weekly'' * '' Leader Magazine'' * '' News Review'' ( 1940–1950) — merged into ''Illustrated'' magazine * '' NME'' (1962–1968) * '' Rugby World'' (from 1960) * ''
Woman A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regard ...
'' (from 1937)


Book series

* Beacon Books * Britain Illustrated * Colourama Series * Famous Criminal Trials * Hippo BooksDUMPY and other pocket-sized books
collectingbooksandmagazines.com. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
* Man's Book Series * Modern Living Series * New Educational Library * Odhams Owner-Driver Handbooks * The People's Home Library * Popular Library * University Series * The War in Pictures


Comics titles


See also

*
Morgan v Odhams Press Ltd ''Morgan v Odhams Press Ltd'' clarified the law in England regarding identification of the plaintiff in an action for defamation. Claim A newspaper article in '' The Sun'' (then owned by Odhams Press) reported on the kidnapping of a young wo ...


References


Notes


Citations


External links


The IPC Media website
* Howard Cox and Simon Mowatt
"Technology and Industrial Change: The Shift from Production to Knowledge-Based Business in the Magazine Print Publishing Industry"
paper presented to the 2001 Association of Business Historians Conference, 2001 (Research Papers in International Business no. 27). {{Authority control 1870s establishments in England 1920 establishments in England 1969 disestablishments in England 1961 mergers and acquisitions Publishing companies established in the 1870s British companies disestablished in 1969 Fleetway and IPC Comics Publishing companies established in 1920 Publishing companies disestablished in 1969 Book publishing companies based in London