Records of Rupert Hart-Davis Ltd, publishers, London, England

Scope and Content

  • Minutes 1946-1958;
  • Register of members and share ledgers 1946-1954.

Administrative / Biographical History

Rupert Hart-Davis Ltd was incorporated as a limited liability company in 1946  with registered offices on Connaught Street, London, England. The first directors of the company were the publishers Rupert Hart-Davis and Edward Young, and the author David Garrett. The initial capital of the company was £15,000 and it was increased to £60,000 in 1949  in order to build new premises. The company employed a number of salesmen who travelled around the country selling the fiction and non-fiction titles produced by the company. In 1962  , the company acquired the education and nautical publishers Adlard Coles Ltd , Southampton.

In 1963  , the company was acquired by Granada Group Ltd , media group, London. Granada merged the business of Rupert Hart-Davis Ltd with another of their publishing subsidiaries, MacGibbon & Kee Ltd , acquired in 1968  , to form Hart-Davis, MacGibbon Ltd in 1972  , although Rupert Hart-Davis Ltd continued as a company in its own right. In 1983  , Granada sold its publishing interests to the Scottish publishers William Collins, Sons & Co Ltd , Glasgow. Rupert Hart-Davis Ltd remained a registered company until it was dissolved finally in 1993  .

Arrangement

The material is arranged into series as shown in the scope and content. Within series items are generally arranged chronologically.

Access Information

Open

Acquisition Information

Deposit : William Collins, Sons & Co Ltd via BACS : 1987

Other Finding Aids

Digital file level list available in searchroom

This collection forms part of the William Collins, Sons & Co Ltd finding aid (UGD 243) consisting of the records of that company and its related/subsidiary companies

Manual file level list available at the National Registers of Archives in Edinburgh (NRA(S)3040) and London (NRA31886)

Alternative Form Available

No known copies

Physical Characteristics and/or Technical Requirements

None which affect the use of this material

Conditions Governing Use

Applications for permission to quote should be sent to the Archivist.

Reproduction subject to usual conditions: educational use and condition of documents

Appraisal Information

This material has been appraised in line with standard GB 0248 procedures

Custodial History

Held by William Collins, Sons & Co Ltd, Glasgow

Accruals

None expected

Related Material

GB 0248 UGD 243/1 Records of William Collins, Sons & Co Ltd

GB 0248 UGD 243/8 Records of Granada Publishing Ltd

GB 0248 UGD 243/14 Records of MacGibbon & Kee Ltd

GB 0248 UGD 243/16 Records of Adlard Coles Ltd

GB 0248 UGD 243/18 Records of Arco Publications Ltd

GB 0248 UGD 243/22 Records of Staples Press Ltd

Location of Originals

This material is original

Bibliography

No known publications using this material

Additional Information

Description compiled in line with the following international standards: International Council on Archives,ISAD(G) Second Edition, September 1999 and National Council on Archives,Rules for the construction of personal, place and corporate names

Scotland is the location of all place names in the administrative/biographical history element, unless otherwise stated.

Fonds level description compiled by David Powell, Hub Project Archivist, April 2003. Lower level descriptions input by Emma Yan, Assistant Archivist (Cataloguing), 27 May 2008

Geographical Names