Thomas Nelsons
Thomas Nelsons was one of the most successful publishing houses in the world. The company had been trading in Edinburgh since 1798 when Thomas Nelson established a second-hand bookshop at the West Bow. The experience as a bookseller convinced Thomas of the existence of a ready market for cheap, standard editions of non-copyright works, and he satisfied it by issuing popular editions of classics.However, with the building in 1845 of a new printing house at Hope Park, the complete book manufacturing process was carried out under one roof, with a pay-roll of over four hundred employees.
A fire devastated Hope Park in 1878, causing damage estimated between £100,000 and £200,000. Within two months Thomas Nelson and Sons were back in operation, albeit on a limited scale. Within two years the production works moved to a new site at Parkside near the brothers’ own properties. The calamity at Hope Park had brought the fortuitous benefit of investment in new plant from which a flood of reprints, schoolbooks, prize books and religious books poured – all at inexpensive prices. The New Factory, capable of producing 200,000 books a week, was built at Parkside in 1907 to undertake the various Classics series. It stood in extensive grounds facing the Dalkeith Road, Edinburgh. The works themselves covered about five acres of ground and the New Factory an additional acre.
Parkside was equipped with the most modern printing and bindery machinery of their day as it was the aim that every process of book production should be undertaken within the factory. Many of the machines, especially in the bindery were constructed by the Nelsons. With the new space provided at Parkside, Thomas Nelson junior was able to investigate new processes including developing a surface paper. This paper was partly made by hand, for use with half tone blacks, a technique which was nearly as innovative as his development of the rotary press. The company continued from strength to strength until 1962 when it joined forces with the Thomson Organisation and split its publishing and printing sides. It sold Parkside and its publishing arm moved down to England.
The Scottish Archive of Print and Publishing History Records undertook a three year study of Thomas Nelsons where they interviewed over 80 former employees of the firm. For more information about the project please visit the SAPPHIRE website.
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