Two Rivers Press is an independent publishing house, based in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

town of

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...

. Two Rivers Press was founded in 1994 by Peter Hay (1951–2003), a local artist. Its name reflects his enthusiasm for the town and its two rivers, the

Kennet Kennet may refer to: Places in the United Kingdom *Kennet, Clackmannanshire, Scotland People *Baron Kennet, a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom * D. Mark Kennet (born 1957), American economist *Josh Kennet (born 1987), English-Israel ...

and the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

, and its intention to explore ''the place where art and history meet''. The name also gives a clue to the origins of the company in the, ultimately successful, opposition to Reading's proposed ''Cross-Town Route'', a road scheme that would have seriously impacted the point at which the two rivers meet. To date, the company has published over 70 titles. A significant part of its work explores and celebrates local history. It also publishes new editions of classic poems, especially ones with some Reading connection, such as Oscar Wilde's

The Ballad of Reading Gaol ''The Ballad of Reading Gaol'' is a poem by Oscar Wilde, written in exile in Berneval-le-Grand, after his release from Reading Gaol () on 19 May 1897. Wilde had been incarcerated in Reading after being convicted of gross indecency with other m ...

, and collections of contemporary poetry from resident poets. Today the company is managed by Sally Mortimer, assisted by Adam Sowan, as local history editor, and Peter Robinson, who combines his role of poetry editor with that of Professor of English and American literature at the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

References

External links

The Two Rivers Press web site

Catalogue of books published

{{Authority control Book publishing companies of the United Kingdom Companies based in Reading, Berkshire Publishing companies established in 1994 1994 establishments in England