Truslove & Hanson was a minor independent publishing firm that ran a number of fashionable bookshops in the
West End of London
The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government build ...
. They also printed personalized
stationery
Stationery refers to commercially manufactured writing materials, including cut paper, envelopes, writing implements, continuous form paper, and other office supplies. Stationery includes materials to be written on by hand (e.g., letter pape ...
and
bookplates, offered a
bookbinding service, and acted as London agents for the
State Library of New South Wales. There was a
New York branch, Truslove, Hanson & Comba, from 1899 to 1903.
Partners
In 1893 Joseph Truslove, who since 1890 had traded as a bookseller and publisher from 143
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch via Oxford Circus. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, with around half a million daily visitors, and ...
, London, went into partnership with Frank Hanson, who had been the London
representative
Representative may refer to:
Politics
* Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people
* House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities
* Legislator, som ...
of
Simpkin Marshall.
In 1899 Truslove and Hanson entered into partnership with T. Ernest Comba and Joseph Shaylor to open a New York office, operating as Truslove, Hanson & Comba from 67
Fifth Avenue. In 1903 this became the New York branch of
John Lane. Comba (1851–1921) specialized in selling French, Italian and Spanish books.
Bookshops
Truslove's original premises in 143 Oxford Street were supplemented by a bookshop in
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End.
Toponymy
Knightsbridge is an ancien ...
, at 6b
Sloane Street
Sloane Street is a major London street in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea which runs north to south, from Knightsbridge to Sloane Square, crossing Pont Street about halfway along.
History
Sloane Street takes its name from Sir H ...
(now a
Shanghai Tang
Shanghai Tang () is a Hong Kong luxury fashion house founded in 1994 by Hong Kong businessman David Tang. The brand is known for its luxury homeware collection and fine bone china. In 1998, Richemont acquired David Tang's controlling stake i ...
outlet). This became a fashionable "quality" bookshop, with such customers as
Archibald Wavell (
Viceroy of India
The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 19 ...
1943-1947). There was a further bookshop in
Mayfair, at 14a Clifford Street (now the London outlet of
Kiton
Kiton is an Italian luxury clothing company founded by Ciro Paone in 1968.
As of 2019, Kiton operates 54 monobrand stores worldwide. Its slogan is “''Il meglio del meglio più uno''“: the best of the best plus one.
History
Kiton was foun ...
).
The bookshops became a subsidiary of
W H 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 ...
in 1923, but remained a distinct, up-market
brand
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create ...
, tied to
Bowes & Bowes
Bowes & Bowes was a bookselling and publishing company based in Cambridge, England. It was established by Robert Bowes (1835–1919), a nephew of Daniel Macmillan (1813–1857) — the founder, with his brother Alexander, , of a firm which by 1 ...
after that was acquired by WHS in 1953. The Clifford Street shop was closed in 1958, and the Oxford Street shop in 1963. The Sloane Street premises were moved in 1972.
In 1969, Truslove & Hanson acquired the Times Library.
[Tamsin Kitch]
The Times Book Club and The Well of Loneliness
''The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'', April 14, 2010.
Publications
Truslove and Hanson were particularly notable as publishers for their list of works on art and design, with Joseph Truslove becoming a member of
the Arts Club
The Arts Club is a London private members' club founded in 1863 by, among others, Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope, and Lord Leighton in Dover Street, Mayfair. It remains a meeting place for men and women involved in the creative arts either ...
in 1910.
They published several editions of
Frederick Litchfield's ''Illustrated History of Furniture'' (7 editions, 1892–1922) and the same author's ''Pottery and Porcelain'' (1900, 1912); Fred Miller's ''Art Crafts for Amateurs'' (1901);
W. G. Paulson Townsend's ''Embroidery or the Craft of the Needle'' (1899, 1907), and ''Plant and Floral Studies for Artists and Craftspeople'' (1901); and, as Truslove, Hanson and Comba, the American edition of William Millar's classic ''Plastering Plain and Decorative'' (1897). From 1899 to 1901 Truslove, Hanson and Comba also published the American edition of ''
The Artist'', a monthly review of art and design.
Other notable publications include
Henry Ling Roth
Henry Ling Roth (3 February 1855 – 12 May 1925) was an English-born anthropologist and museum curator, active in Australia.
Early life
Roth was born in London, the son of Dr Mathias Roth, an Austrian-born surgeon, and his English wife Anna Mar ...
's, ''The Natives of Sarawak and British North Borneo'' (1896) and ''Oriental Silverwork'' (1910); John Henry Cardwell's, ''Men and Women of Soho: Famous and Infamous'' (1904); and
Joseph Shaylor's ''The Pleasures of Bookland'' (1914).
See also
*
Book trade in the United Kingdom
The book trade in the United Kingdom has its roots as far back as the 14th century, however the emergence of internet booksellers such as Amazon partnered with the introduction of the e-Book has drastically altered the scope of the industry. Book ...
*
Books in the United Kingdom
History
In 1477 William Caxton in Westminster printed '' The Dictes or Sayengis of the Philosophres,'' considered "the first dated book printed in England."
The history of the book in the United Kingdom has been studied from a variety of cultu ...
References
External links
An image ofauthor
Frederick Forsyth
Frederick McCarthy Forsyth (born 25 August 1938) is an English novelist and journalist. He is best known for thrillers such as ''The Day of the Jackal'', ''The Odessa File'', '' The Fourth Protocol'', '' The Dogs of War'', ''The Devil's Alter ...
at a signing in Truslove & Hanson, Sloane Street, on 25 September 1972. From the
Hulton Picture Library
''Picture Post'' was a photojournalistic magazine published in the United Kingdom from 1938 to 1957. It is considered a pioneering example of photojournalism and was an immediate success, selling 1,700,000 copies a week after only two months. ...
.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Truslove And Hanson
Bookshops in London