Ward, Lock & Co. was a publishing house in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

that started as a partnership and developed until it was eventually absorbed into the publishing combine of

Orion Publishing Group Orion Publishing Group Ltd. is a UK-based book publisher. It was founded in 1991 and acquired Weidenfeld & Nicolson the following year. The group has published numerous bestselling books by notable authors including Ian Rankin, Michael Connell ...

History

Ebenezer Ward and George Lock started a publishing concern in 1854 which became known as "Ward and Lock". Based originally in

Fleet Street Fleet Street is a major street mostly in the City of London. It runs west to east from Temple Bar at the boundary with the City of Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the London Wall and the River Fleet from which the street was n ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

it outgrew its offices and in 1878 moved completely to Salisbury Square, London. The firm's first office was at 158 Fleet Street. Fleet Street had an inviting architecture and atmosphere. It was full of businesses and people, coffee houses, taverns, and soup kitchens. It appealed to “publishers, printers, authors and tradesmen who occupied its houses and frequented its taverns.” And it was always bustling with “innumerable trades, tradesmen and customers, coaches, wagons playhouses”. Before founding Ward and Lock, Ward had worked as the manager of the book department at

Herbert Ingram Herbert Ingram (27 May 1811 – 8 September 1860) was a British journalist and politician. He is considered the father of pictorial journalism through his founding of ''The Illustrated London News'', the first illustrated magazine. He was a ...

and Company. In 1855, Herbert Ingram and Company folded and Ward and Lock, with some help from their business partners Thomas Dixon Galpin and George William Petter, bought some of Ingram's “publications, including the copyrights, wood-blocks, stereotype plates and engravings

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

were put up for sale.” Perhaps, the most important book from the Ingram catalogue was ''Webster’s Dictionary of the English Language'', which Ward and Lock started reissuing with great success. By the 1870s, ''Webster’s Dictionary'' had sold 140,000 copies. Other titles published by Ward and Lock around this time included books on travel, mechanics, and reprints of classical works, such as

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the '' Iliad'', ...

and

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where '' '' is French for 'father', to distinguish him from his son Alexandre Dumas fils), was a French writer ...

’ ''Pictures of Travel in the South of France''. By 1861, Ward and Lock had achieved enough success to be able to afford more staff and move into a new office at Amen Corner on

Paternoster Row Paternoster Row was a street in the City of London that was a centre of the London publishing trade, with booksellers operating from the street. Paternoster Row was described as "almost synonymous" with the book trade. It was part of an area ca ...

. When Ward and Lock established their office in Paternoster Row it was already the home of “some of the most famous publishers in the country”: Rivington,

Longman Longman, also known as Pearson Longman, is a publishing company founded in London, England, in 1724 and is owned by Pearson PLC. Since 1968, Longman has been used primarily as an imprint by Pearson's Schools business. The Longman brand is also ...

William Blackwood William Blackwood (20 November 177616 September 1834) was a Scottish publisher who founded the firm of William Blackwood and Sons. Life Blackwood was born in Edinburgh on 20 November 1776. At the age of 14 he was apprenticed to a firm of book ...

and Nelsons were some of the famous publishers with offices in the neighborhood. Ward and Lock continued to publish books at popular prices and started to issue atlases. Some of the authors the company published included

Mary Elizabeth Braddon Mary Elizabeth Braddon (4 October 1835 – 4 February 1915) was an English popular novelist of the Victorian era. She is best known for her 1862 sensation novel ''Lady Audley's Secret'', which has also been dramatised and filmed several times ...

Charles Reade Charles Reade (8 June 1814 – 11 April 1884) was a British novelist and dramatist, best known for '' The Cloister and the Hearth''. Life Charles Reade was born at Ipsden, Oxfordshire, to John Reade and Anne Marie Scott-Waring, and had at lea ...

and

George Augustus Sala George Augustus Henry Fairfield Sala (November 1828 – 8 December 1895) was an author and journalist who wrote extensively for the ''Illustrated London News'' as G. A. S. and was most famous for his articles and leaders for ''The Daily Telegra ...

. With the help of Ward and Lock, Sala had, in 1860, started a magazine called ''Temple Bar'' – a “London magazine for Town and Country Readers”. The magazine became very famous and in response to public demand, Ward and Lock published it in volume form, the first volume appearing in 1861. Charles T. Tyler joined Ward and Lock as a partner in 1865 and the firm became Ward, Lock and Tyler. Tyler seems to have brought capital to the company and was a financial adviser. “Tyler remained with the firm for eight years, ceasing to be a partner in 1873, when it reverted to Ward and Lock.” In 1866, London publisher Samuel Orchart Beeton was obliged (as a result of the financial

Panic of 1866 The Panic of 1866 was an international financial downturn that accompanied the failure of Overend, Gurney and Company in London, and the ''corso forzoso'' abandonment of the silver standard in Italy. In Britain, the economic impacts are hel ...

) to sell his titles and name to Ward Lock; this gave them the rights to his late wife's ''

Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management ''Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management'', also published as ''Mrs. Beeton's Cookery Book'', is an extensive guide to running a household in Victorian Britain, edited by Isabella Beeton and first published as a book in 1861. Previously p ...

''. In 1870, Ward, Lock and Tyler acquired E. Moxon, Son and Company. Moxon was a publishing firm that had published

Charles Lamb Charles Lamb (10 February 1775 – 27 December 1834) was an English essayist, poet, and antiquarian, best known for his '' Essays of Elia'' and for the children's book '' Tales from Shakespeare'', co-authored with his sister, Mary Lamb (1764� ...

William Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication '' Lyrical Ballads'' (1798). Wordsworth's ' ...

Alfred, Lord Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his ...

Robert Browning Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentary, historical sett ...

Robert Southey Robert Southey ( or ; 12 August 1774 – 21 March 1843) was an English poet of the Romantic school, and Poet Laureate from 1813 until his death. Like the other Lake Poets, William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Southey began as a ra ...

Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a central role in the creation ...

and a successful volume of poems illustrated by

J. M. W. Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbul ...

and

Thomas Stothard Thomas Stothard (17 August 1755 – 27 April 1834) was an English painter, illustrator and engraver. His son, Robert T. Stothard was a painter ( fl. 1810): he painted the proclamation outside York Minster of Queen Victoria's accession to the ...

. The firm was led by

Edward Moxon Edward Moxon (12 December 1801 – 3 June 1858) was a British poet and publisher, significant in Victorian literature. Biography Moxon was born at Wakefield in Yorkshire, where his father Michael worked in the wool trade. In 1817 he left ...

who was an influential poet and publisher, who had died in 1858. By buying the works published by Moxon and Beeton, Ward, Lock and Tyler expanded their connections with many famous poets and authors of the time. In 1873, Tyler left the company and it reverted to being Ward and Lock. Ward and Lock's catalogue was now extensive. The acquisition of Moxon meant that the firm had “the right to publish the Poet Laureate’s works” and they published Tennyson's collected poems. The company's staff was now expanding and hence, in 1878, they built a new office called ‘Warwick House’. They published a lot of cheap reprints from here, as well as prize books for school in the 1880s. To cope with the demand of cheap reprints and prize books, the firm set up their own binding works on the top floor of Warwick House. In 1882, Ward and Lock started expanding to English-speaking markets in other countries. In 1882 offices were opened in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and in 1884 in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

. In 1885, Ward and Lock purchased

WH Smith WHSmith (also written WH Smith, and known colloquially as Smith's and formerly as W. H. Smith & Son) is a British retailer, headquartered in Swindon, England, which operates a chain of high street, railway station, airport, port, hospital and m ...

’s popular ‘Select Library of Fiction’ series. In 1891, James Bowden came in to a three-way partnership. He had started working at Ward and Lock in 1869 and after he became a partner, the company became Ward, Lock and Bowden. "By the last decade on the 19th century, Messrs. Ward, Lock and Bowden were an important name on the publishing scene." Ebenezer Ward retired in 1883 and died in 1902. George Lock had died in 1891. None of Ward's children went into business. But Lock's family continued the business. “After George Lock’s death the firm was carried on for two years by James Bowden and John Lock under the title of Ward Lock, Bowden & Company. Then, in 1893, it was converted into a limited company with the title of Ward Lock and Bowden Ltd.” In the 1887 '' Beeton's Christmas Annual'' (published in November)

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

's first

detective novel Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as spe ...

, ''

A Study in Scarlet ''A Study in Scarlet'' is an 1887 detective novel by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. The story marks the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, who would become the most famous detective duo in literature. The book's title der ...

'', was published, introducing the consulting detective

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

and his friend and chronicler Dr. Watson. Ward Lock and Bowden's business in New York and Melbourne were doing well and in the mid-1890s, the company opened an office in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

; however, this was closed in 1919. The books published by the firm reflected the changes in English life. These included

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

’s ''

The Picture of Dorian Gray ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is a philosophical novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical '' Lippincott's Monthly Magazine''.''The Picture of Dorian G ...

'',

George Meredith George Meredith (12 February 1828 – 18 May 1909) was an English novelist and poet of the Victorian era. At first his focus was poetry, influenced by John Keats among others, but he gradually established a reputation as a novelist. '' The Ord ...

’s ''The Tragic Comedians'', Joseph Hocking’s ''All Men are Liars'', Guy Boothby’s In Strange Company and George Hutchinson’s ''Winning a Wife in Australia''. Besides fiction, the firm also published educational material. They were involved in “popularizing general and specialized knowledge”, publishing material such as ''Illustrated History of the World'', ''Self-culture for All'', ''The World’s Inhabitants'', ''Worthies of the World'' and more. Responding to the growth in railway lines and love for travel, Ward Lock and Bowden introduced their series of guides books to the British Isles in 1896. They were priced at a shilling. As of 1954, some 136

Ward Lock travel guides Ward Lock travel guides or ''Red Guides'' (1870s–1970s) were tourist guide books to the British Isles and continental Europe published by Ward, Lock & Co. of London. The firm proclaimed them "amusing and readable" and the "cheapest and most ...

, also known as ''Red Guides'', existed. In 1900, the firm bought A.D. Innes and Company – famous for publishing sports books. In 1895, the company launched ''

The Windsor Magazine ''The Windsor Magazine'' was a monthly illustrated publication produced by Ward Lock & Co from January 1895 to September 1939 (537 issues). The title page described it as "An Illustrated Monthly for Men and Women". It was bound as six-monthly ...

'' – it introduced to the public a new style of magazine, that was for everyone, not just the upper or upper-middle classes. The magazine continued for nearly 45 years. ''The Windsor Magazine'' published novels in installments and also verse and was one of the firm's biggest successes. James Bowden retired in 1897. By 1901, the firm went by Ward, Lock & Co., Limited. Its motto was “full steam ahead”. The firm published major authors, but also took a “middle-brow” approach to fiction. They published in book form the novels of authors which had been published in installments in ''The Windsor Magazine''. In 1909, the Melbourne office celebrated 25 years. In 1911, a fire destroyed large parts of Warwick House, but by 1913, a new Warwick House was built, which was larger than the earlier establishment. In 1914, the firm celebrated their Diamond Jubilee. In the 1920s, the firm expanded its list of juvenile literature to children's fiction and coloring books. They also continued to publish crime and detective stories, with books by authors like E. Phillips Oppenheim,

Edgar Wallace Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1 April 1875 – 10 February 1932) was a British writer. Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12. He joined the army at age 21 and was a war correspondent during th ...

and

Leslie Charteris Leslie Charteris (born Leslie Charles Bowyer-Yin, 12 May 1907 – 15 April 1993), was a British-Chinese author of adventure fiction, as well as a screenwriter.Dornford Yates Cecil William Mercer (7 August 1885 – 5 March 1960), known by his pen name Dornford Yates, was an English writer and novelist whose novels and short stories, some humorous (the ''Berry'' books), some thrillers (the ''Chandos'' books), were be ...

was one of Ward, Lock's most popular authors around this time. Around this time, Ward, Lock also published Mary Grant Bruce’s highly successful ''Billabong'' series of books, starting wit
''A Little Bush Maid''
in 1911. The period between the two World Wars was tough on publishers. Warwick House was bombed twice during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the second time, the building was almost completely destroyed. The firm temporarily relocated to Unilever House on

the Embankment The Thames Embankment is a work of 19th-century civil engineering that reclaimed marshy land next to the River Thames in central London. It consists of the Victoria Embankment and Chelsea Embankment. History There had been a long history of f ...

, before moving into an office in Salisbury Square. In 1946, Ward, Lock and Company moved into an office in 6,

Chancery Lane Chancery Lane is a one-way street situated in the ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London. It has formed the western boundary of the City since 1994, having previously been divided between the City of Westminster and the London Boro ...

. They also maintained offices at Norfolk Street, New Court, and Salisbury Square. In 1964, the business split in two, creating Ward Lock Educational Co Ltd, which was bought by Cassell Publishing in 1989. By the early 1990s, Cassell was acquired by the current owner,

Trading names

*Ward and Lock – 1852 to 1891 *Ward, Lock & Tyler — 1862 to 1873 *Ward, Lock and Bowden Company – 1891 to 1893 *Ward Lock and Bowden Ltd. – 1893 to 1897 *Ward, Lock & Co., Limited – 1897 to present

Authors

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the '' Voyages extra ...

* Andrew Forrester *

Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe (; born Daniel Foe; – 24 April 1731) was an English writer, trader, journalist, pamphleteer and spy. He is most famous for his novel '' Robinson Crusoe'', published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its ...

* R. M. Ballantyne *

Isabella Beeton Isabella Mary Beeton ( Mayson; 14 March 1836 – 6 February 1865), known as Mrs Beeton, was an English journalist, editor and writer. Her name is particularly associated with her first book, the 1861 work '' Mrs Beeton's Book of Household ...

Edward Bulwer-Lytton Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton, PC (25 May 180318 January 1873) was an English writer and politician. He served as a Whig member of Parliament from 1831 to 1841 and a Conservative from 1851 to 1866. He was Secre ...

Leslie Charteris Leslie Charteris (born Leslie Charles Bowyer-Yin, 12 May 1907 – 15 April 1993), was a British-Chinese author of adventure fiction, as well as a screenwriter.Thomas Hughes Thomas Hughes (20 October 182222 March 1896) was an English lawyer, judge, politician and author. He is most famous for his novel ''Tom Brown's School Days'' (1857), a semi-autobiographical work set at Rugby School, which Hughes had attended. ...

Nigel Tranter Nigel Tranter OBE (23 November 1909 – 9 January 2000) was a writer of a wide range of books on castles, particularly on themes of architecture and history. He also specialised in deeply researched historical novels that cover centuries of Sco ...

: early novels (1937–1956) and westerns (published under the pseudonym 'Nye Tredgold', 1950–1958) *

Dornford Yates Cecil William Mercer (7 August 1885 – 5 March 1960), known by his pen name Dornford Yates, was an English writer and novelist whose novels and short stories, some humorous (the ''Berry'' books), some thrillers (the ''Chandos'' books), were be ...

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are '' Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequ ...

* E. Phillips Oppenheim

Titles

Some famous books were published by Ward Lock: *'' Among The Cannibals'' by

Robinson Crusoe ''Robinson Crusoe'' () is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. The first edition credited the work's protagonist Robinson Crusoe as its author, leading many readers to believe he was a real person and the book a tra ...

" by

*''

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creature ...

'' by

*''

'' *''Martin Rattler'' by R. M. Ballantyne (reprint) *''

Meet the Tiger ''Meet the Tiger'' is an action-adventure novel written by Leslie Charteris. In England it was first published by Ward Lock in September 1928; in the United States it was first published by Doubleday's The Crime Club imprint in March 1929 with ...

'' (the first book featuring The Saint) *''

'' *''

'' by

*''

Pilgrim's Progress ''The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That Which Is to Come'' is a 1678 Christian allegory written by John Bunyan. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of theological fiction in English literature and a progenitor of ...

'' (reprint) *'' Seven Little Australians'' * *''

Tom Brown's School Days ''Tom Brown's School Days'' (sometimes written ''Tom Brown's Schooldays'', also published under the titles ''Tom Brown at Rugby'', ''School Days at Rugby'', and ''Tom Brown's School Days at Rugby'') is an 1857 novel by Thomas Hughes. The stor ...

'' by

Thomas Hughes Thomas Hughes (20 October 182222 March 1896) was an English lawyer, judge, politician and author. He is most famous for his novel ''Tom Brown's School Days'' (1857), a semi-autobiographical work set at Rugby School, which Hughes had attended. ...

*''Harold, the Last of the Saxons'' by

(3rd edition) * ''A Daughter of the Marionis'' (1895) by

E Phillips Oppenheim Edward Phillips Oppenheim (22 October 1866 – 3 February 1946) was an English novelist, a prolific writer of best-selling genre fiction, featuring glamorous characters, international intrigue and fast action. Notably easy to read, they were vie ...

The ''

Windsor Magazine ''The Windsor Magazine'' was a monthly illustrated publication produced by Ward Lock & Co from January 1895 to September 1939 (537 issues). The title page described it as "An Illustrated Monthly for Men and Women". It was bound as six-monthly ...

'' was published monthly from January 1895 until September 1939 (537 issues).

Book series

* Billabong Books (also known as: Billabong Series) * Concorde Gardening Books * Fair Britain * Little "Cousin" Series (author:

Mary Hazelton Wade Mary Hazelton Blanchard Wade (March 23, 1860 – 1936) was an American writer. Born Mary Hazelton Blanchard in Charlestown, Massachusetts, daughter of Charles Hentry and Caroline Cecilia Blanchard, she was educated at a high school in Malden an ...

) * The Little Wonder Books * The "Manners" Series * The Minerva Library of Famous Books * The Model-Making Series * Popular Gift Series * Prince Charming Colour Books for Children * Prize Library * The Rainbow Series * The Select Library of Fiction * Series of the Great Poets * Shilling Useful Books * 6d. Copyright Novels * The Sunshine Series * Things To Do * Ward, Lock and Co.’s Sevenpenny Net Novels * Ward and Lock's Shilling Volume Library *

(also known as the Red Guides) * Windsor Library * Wonder Books SeriesWonder Books and Modern World Books
collectingbooksandmagazines.com. Retrieved 30 November 2019. * World Library * The Youth's Library of Wonders and Adventures * Fight of dutchmen

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward Lock and Co Book publishing companies of the United Kingdom Publishing companies established in 1854

History

Trading names

Authors

Titles

Book series

References

Further reading

External links