1819 - 1824
Millworker William Collins, from Glasgow, sets up a company for printing and publishing pamphlets, sermons, hymn books and prayer books. The first book published is The Christian and Civic Economy of Large Towns. Publishes the first dictionary - Greek and English Lexicon.
1840 - 1842
Begins publishing Illustrated Dictionaries. Obtains a licence to print and publish the Bible.
William II introduces new, up-to-date steam presses, publishes and prints the works of Shakespeare and Pilgrim’s Progress in cheap editions, making them available to the masses. Now publishing travel books, scientific books, encyclopaedias and dictionaries, thanks to new demands for educational books.
1846 - 1848
William Collins retires to Rothesay and starts a mission for the poor. His son William II takes over the company.
Begins publishing atlases and holds the monopoly of scripture printing.
1862 - 1870
Company expands, diversifies and brings in new partners. Family firm now has 16 printing machines, seven lithographic presses and several small complimentary presses, plus a bindery machine. Introduces Gospels in native African tongues and set up offices in India and America.
1872 - 1879
New London premises in Bridewell Place. First offices set up in Australia and New Zealand. At the age of 64, William II becomes Lord Provost of Glasgow and is knighted by Queen Victoria at Holyrood Palace. All the company partners are bought out and a new limited company is ‘floated’ with mainly family members forming the first Board of Directors.
1895 - 1906
William II dies; his son William III takes over as chairman and introduces the Children’s fiction list. However, he is killed in an accident and his nephews William IV and Godfrey take over the firm. Godfrey further develops “books for the millions” - cheap editions of classical literature. First offices in South Africa and South America set up. Introduction of Collins Pocket Classics.
Collins publish their own original fiction. Main publishing office based at 48 Pall Mall, London.
1925 - 1934
Publishes Agatha Christie’s first novel The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. The Crime Club list formed. Obtains Walt Disney rights to publish in the UK.
Introduction of paperback books opens the market - books become more affordable. Time of expansion and development.
Company begins to build a printing works incorporating the latest computerised technology, also a bindery, warehousing and distribution centre.
In 1991, there are changes in the shareholding of the company - the family sell their interest to Rupert Murdoch. In 1989, the company is acquired by News International, bringing together Collins, Harper & Row, Gower Publishing, Times Books, Bartholomew and Angus & Robertson. Acquisition of Thorsons Publishing Group.
Offices in Mayfair and central London are vacated and relocated to new premises in Hammersmith in late 1990. Acquisition of Unwin Hyman. Creation of Hong Kong Production Office. The following year, HarperCollins Publishers becomes the worldwide company name.
2000 - 2006
In 2000, HarperCollins acquires independent publisher Fourth Estate. Victoria Barnsley of Fourth Estate is appointed as head of HarperCollins UK. The same year, HarperCollins Worldwide sales exceed $1bn for the first time. Acquisition of rights to publish mind, body and spirit titles formerly owned by Element Books.
In 2001, HarperCollins launches first e-book list from a large UK publisher. The following year, the company is named Publisher of the Year at the British Book Awards. HarperCollins launches Fourth Estate in the US. The publishing sensation of 2003 – My Side by David Beckham – becomes fastest-selling non-fiction book of all time. The Lord of the Rings by J RR Tolkien is voted the nation’s official best-loved book as it topped the BBC’s Big Read poll.
HarperPerennial, a prestigious new paperback literary imprint, launches in the spring of 2004. The Known World by Edward P Jones, published by Perennial as a paperback original, wins the Pulitzer prize. 2005 sees the launch of new literary imprint HarperPress, bringing together award-winning non-fiction and new literary fiction with real commercial potential. HCUK announces move to print all trade monochrome hardbacks and trade paperbacks on Forest Stewardship Council™-certified paper.
HarperCollins UK launches Avon, the brand-new home of commercial fiction for women, aimed specifically at new and growing retail streams such as supermarkets, high street bookshops and the Internet.
Doris Lessing is awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie wins the Orange Prize for Fiction for Half of a Yellow Sun.
In a move that now sees the majority of its books printed on paper sourced from responsibly manged forests and other controlled sources, HarperCollins announces that it will print its entire mass market paperback list on FSC™certified paper. Together with the hardbacks, trade paperbacks and selected four colour titles already printed on FSC and recycled papers, this will mean that at least 60% of all books produced by HCUK from October onwards will be on environmentally-friendly paper. In December, HarperCollins announces that it is the first major trade publisher in the UK to take its operations carbon neutral.
Brian Murray is promoted to President and CEO of HarperCollins Worldwide.
Victoria Barnsley is promoted to CEO and Publisher HCUK and International, overseeing the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa.
Michael Morrison is promoted to President and Publisher U.S. General Books and Canada.
HarperCollins UK acquires some of the assets of The Friday Project, the only publishing company specialising in sourcing the brightest talent from the web and developing great books from it.
Patrick Janson-Smith joins HarperCollins to launch Blue Door, a new commercial imprint focusing primarily on fiction.
Announcement of a new business venture, Angry Robot, which will provide the global science-fiction/fantasy community with new content both in physical and digital form.
HarperCollins publishes the UK's first Green Bible, printed entirely on FSC certified paper.
HarperCollins launches authonomy.com, a groundbreaking talent-spotting website for unpublished writers, publishers and readers.
Victoria Barnsley is awarded an OBE for services to publishing in the New Year's honours list.
Fourth Estate celebrates its 25th anniversary. The occasion is marked by 25 special events, beginning in May.
HarperCollins has a stellar year for literary awards including the Royal Society Prize for Science Books with The Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes.
HarperCollins is named one of the top green companies in the UK, featuring inThe Sunday Times Best Green Companies 2010 list in May.
Authonomy.com, HarperCollins' literary talent-spotting web community, wins the prestigious Digital Innovation Award at The Bookseller Industry Awards. The judges commend authonomy for not just being a great idea, but also for being a digital innovation which had already proved its worth by producing a couple of top ten best sellers.
HarperAudio wins the inaugural Audiobook of the Year Award at the Galaxy National Book Awards, for My Dear I Wanted To Tell You by Louisa Young (read by Dan Stevens from TV's Downton Abbey).
The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee - published by HarperCollins imprint Fourth Estate - wins the prestigious Guardian First Book Award.
HarperCollins has a record-smashing Christmas Day for digital downloads, with over 100,000 ebooks sold. Confessions of a GP by Dr. Benjamin Daniels - published by HarperCollins imprint The Friday Project - is the most successful ebook of 2011.
HarperCollins launches Mischief, a specialist ebook imprint focusing on erotica and erotic romance.
Collins' Brian Cox's Wonders of the Universe App for iPad is launched to widespread coverage and acclaim, reaching number one in the App Store in its first week of release.
HarperCollins wins the prestigious Publisher of the Year Award at the Bookseller Industry Awards, praised by judges for its innovative digital activity, sharp focus on authors, and thriving educational division.
In June 2012 News Corp announces that it is splitting into two separate companies; one for its film and media assets, the other for its publishing businesses. HarperCollins is now part of the largest publicly traded publishing company.
Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel wins the Man Booker Prize, making Mantel the first ever British author to win the award twice.
Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel wins the Costa Book of the Year Award, making it the first book ever to win both the Booker Prize and the highest Costa accolade. Mantel also wins the David Cohen Prize for a lifetime of achievement in literature.
HarperCollins sponsors literacy charity Beanstalk (formerly known as Volunteer Reading Help) in launching its "Charter For Children's Literacy", calling for improvement in reading standards across the UK.
HarperCollins launches the new William Collins imprint, formed from bringing together HarperPress and the Collins trade list. William Collins publishes highest quality non-fiction encompassing history, biography, science, politics, natural history, reference, business, philosophy and religion.