The Hogarth Press is a book publishing

imprint Imprint or imprinting may refer to: Entertainment * ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series * "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror'' * ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film ...

Penguin Random House Penguin Random House LLC is an Anglo-American multinational conglomerate publishing company formed on July 1, 2013, from the merger of Penguin Group and Random House. On April 2, 2020, Bertelsmann announced the completion of its purchase of ...

that was founded as an independent company in 1917 by British authors Leonard Woolf and

Virginia Woolf Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer, considered one of the most important modernist 20th-century authors and a pioneer in the use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device. Woolf was born i ...

. It was named after their house in Richmond (then in Surrey and now in London), in which they began hand-printing books as a hobby during the interwar period. Hogarth originally published the works of many members of the

Bloomsbury group The Bloomsbury Group—or Bloomsbury Set—was a group of associated English writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists in the first half of the 20th century, including Virginia Woolf, John Maynard Keynes, E. M. Forster and Lytton Strac ...

, and was at the forefront of publishing works on psychoanalysis and translations of foreign, especially Russian, works. In 1938, Virginia Woolf relinquished her interest in the business and it was then run as a partnership by Leonard Woolf and John Lehmann until 1946, when it became an associate company of

Chatto & Windus Chatto & Windus is an imprint of Penguin Random House that was formerly an independent book publishing company founded in London in 1855 by John Camden Hotten. Following Hotten's death, the firm would reorganize under the names of his business ...

. In 2011, Hogarth Press was relaunched as an imprint for contemporary fiction in a partnership between Chatto & Windus in the United Kingdom and

Crown Publishing Group The Crown Publishing Group is a subsidiary of Penguin Random House that publishes across several fiction and non-fiction categories. Originally founded in 1933 as a remaindered books wholesaler called Outlet Book Company, the firm expanded into ...

in the United States, which had both been acquired by Random House.

History

Printing was a hobby for the Woolfs, and it provided a diversion for Virginia when writing became too stressful. The couple bought a handpress in 1917 for £19 (equivalent to about £1295 in 2018) and taught themselves how to use it. The press was set up in the dining room of Hogarth House, where the Woolfs lived, lending its name to the publishing company they founded. In July they published their first text, a book with one story written by Leonard and the other written by Virginia. Between 1917 and 1946 the Press published 527 titles.Gaither 1986, p. xviii. It moved to

Tavistock Square Tavistock Square is a public square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden. History Tavistock Square was built shortly after 1806 by the property developer James Burton and the master builder Thomas Cubitt for Francis Russell, 5th Duk ...

in 1924.

Series

The Hogarth Press produced a number of publication series that were affordable as well as being attractively bound and printed, and usually commissioned from well known authors. These include the initial ''Hogarth Essays'' in three series 1924–1947 (36 titles), ''Hogarth Lectures on Literature'' (2 series 1927–1951), ''Merttens Lectures on War and Peace'' (8 titles 1927–1936), ''

Hogarth Living Poets {{Unreferenced, date=December 2009 The Hogarth Living Poets were two series of books published by Hogarth Press, under the editorship of Dorothy Wellesley. The editions were limited, and the books are now rare. First Series (1928-1932) 24 books. ...

'' (29 titles 1928–1937), ''Day to Day Pamphlets'' (1930–1939), ''Hogarth Letters'' (12 titles 1931–1933) and ''World-Makers and World-Shakers'' (4 titles 1937). The ''Essays'' were the first series produced by the press and include works by

, Leonard Woolf and Gertrude Stein. Virginia Woolf's defence of modernism, '' Mr. Bennett and Mrs. Brown'' (1924) was the initial publication in the series. Cover illustrations were by Vanessa Bell. The ''Letters'' are less well known, and are

epistolary Epistolary means "in the form of a letter or letters", and may refer to: * Epistolary ( la, epistolarium), a Christian liturgical book containing set readings for church services from the New Testament Epistles * Epistolary novel * Epistolary po ...

in form. Authors include

E.M. Forster Edward Morgan Forster (1 January 1879 – 7 June 1970) was an English author, best known for his novels, particularly '' A Room with a View'' (1908), ''Howards End'' (1910), and ''A Passage to India'' (1924). He also wrote numerous short stor ...

and Virginia Woolf. Woolf's ''

A Letter to a Young Poet ''A Letter to a Young Poet'' was an epistolary novel by Virginia Woolf, written in 1932 to John Lehman, laying out her views on modern poetry. History In 1932, Woolf responded to a letter from the writer, John Lehmann, about her novel ''The W ...

'' (1932), was number 8, and addressed to John Lehmann as an exposition on modern poetry. Cover illustrations were by

John Banting John Banting (12 May 1902 – 30 January 1972) was an English artist and writer. Born in Chelsea, London on 12 May 1902 and educated at Emanuel School, Banting was initially attracted to vorticism and associated with the Bloomsbury Group, befor ...

. In 1933, the entire series was reissued as a single volume, and are available on the Internet Archive in a 1986 edition. # A letter to Madam Blanchard,

E. M. Forster Edward Morgan Forster (1 January 1879 – 7 June 1970) was an English author, best known for his novels, particularly ''A Room with a View'' (1908), ''Howards End'' (1910), and ''A Passage to India'' (1924). He also wrote numerous short stori ...

(1931) # A letter to an M.P. on disarmament, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood (1931) # A letter to a sister, Rosamond Lehmann (1931) # The French pictures: a letter to Harriet, Robert Mortimer and

(1932) # A letter from a black sheep,

Francis Birrell Francis Frederick Locker Birrell (17 February 1889 – 2 January 1935) was an English writer and bookseller. Birrell was the son of Augustine Birrell and Eleanor Tennyson (born Locker-Lampson). It was the second marriage for each of his parent ...

(1932) # A letter to W. B. Yeats, L. A. G. Strong (1932) # A letter to a grandfather, Rebecca West (1933) # A letter to a young poet, Virginia Woolf (1932) # A letter to a modern novelist,

Hugh Walpole Sir Hugh Seymour Walpole, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (13 March 18841 June 1941) was an English novelist. He was the son of an Anglican clergyman, intended for a career in the church but drawn instead to writing. Among th ...

(1932) # A letter to an archbishop, J. C. Hardwick (1932) # A letter to Adolf Hitler,

Louis Golding Louis Golding (19 November 1895 – 9 August 1958) was an English writer, very famous in his time especially for his novels, though he is now largely neglected; he wrote also short stories, essays, fantasies, travel books, and poetry. Life Bor ...

(1932) # A letter to Mrs. Virginia Woolf,

Peter Quennell Sir Peter Courtney Quennell (9 March 1905 – 27 October 1993) was an English biographer, literary historian, editor, essayist, poet, and critic. He wrote extensively on social history. Life Born in Bickley, Kent, the son of architect C. H ...

(1932)

Notable title history

*'' Monday or Tuesday'' (1921) by Virginia Woolf, with woodcuts by Vanessa Bell *'' Jacob's Room'' (1922) by Virginia Woolf; the first of her novels published by The Hogarth Press *'' The Devils'' (1922) by

Dostoyevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...

– co-translated by Virginia Woolf *''

The Waste Land ''The Waste Land'' is a poem by T. S. Eliot, widely regarded as one of the most important poems of the 20th century and a central work of modernist poetry. Published in 1922, the 434-line poem first appeared in the United Kingdom in the Octobe ...

'' by T. S. Eliot (1924) – first UK book edition *''The Common Reader'' (1925) by Virginia Woolf *''Karn'' (1922) and ''Martha Wish-You-Ill'' (1926) – poetry by Ruth Manning-Sanders *'' Orlando'' (1928) by Virginia Woolf *''

Living Living or The Living may refer to: Common meanings *Life, a condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms ** Living species, one that is not extinct *Personal life, the course of an individual human's life * H ...

'' (1929) by Henry Green *'' The Waves'' (1931) by Virginia Woolf *'' In a Province'' (1934) – first book by

Laurens van der Post Sir Laurens Jan van der Post, (13 December 1906 – 15 December 1996) was a South African Afrikaner writer, farmer, soldier, educator, journalist, humanitarian, philosopher, explorer and conservationist. He was noted for his interest in J ...

*'' What I Believe'' (1939) by

E. M. Forster Edward Morgan Forster (1 January 1879 – 7 June 1970) was an English author, best known for his novels, particularly ''A Room with a View'' (1908), ''Howards End'' (1910), and ''A Passage to India'' (1924). He also wrote numerous short stori ...

*''

Party Going ''Party Going'' is a 1939 novel by British writer Henry Green (real name Henry Vincent Yorke). It tells the story of a group of wealthy people travelling by train to a house party. Due to a fog, however, the train is much delayed and the group ...

'' (1939) by Henry Green *''

Twilight in Delhi ''Twilight in Delhi'' is Ahmed Ali's first novel, originally published in English by the Hogarth Press in Britain in 1940. The novel addresses India's changing social, political, and cultural climate following colonialism. Plot summary ...

'' (1940) by Ahmed Ali *''

Loving Loving may refer to: * Love, a range of human emotions * Loving (surname) * ''Loving v. Virginia'', a 1967 landmark United States Supreme Court civil rights case Film and television * Loving (1970 film), ''Loving'' (1970 film), an American fi ...

'' by Henry Green (1945) *'' The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud'' (1956–1974), in collaboration with

Anna Freud Anna Freud (3 December 1895 – 9 October 1982) was a British psychoanalyst of Austrian-Jewish descent. She was born in Vienna, the sixth and youngest child of Sigmund Freud and Martha Bernays. She followed the path of her father and contribu ...

*''

The Four Fundamental Concepts of Psychoanalysis ''The Four Fundamental Concepts of Psychoanalysis'' is the 1978 English-language translation of a seminar held by Jacques Lacan. The original (french: Le séminaire. Livre XI. Les quatre concepts fondamentaux de la psychanalyse) was published in P ...

'' (1977) by

Jacques Lacan Jacques Marie Émile Lacan (, , ; 13 April 1901 – 9 September 1981) was a French psychoanalyst and psychiatrist. Described as "the most controversial psycho-analyst since Freud", Lacan gave yearly seminars in Paris from 1953 to 1981, and pu ...

, his first published Seminar.

The Hogarth Shakespeare Project

In 2015 Hogarth Press began producing a series of modern retellings of William Shakespeare plays, known as the Hogarth Shakespeare Project, for which it hired a variety of authors: # ''The Gap of Time'' (based on '' The Winter's Tale''), Jeanette Winterson (published 2015) # ''Shylock is my Name'' (based on ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as a ...

''),

Howard Jacobson Howard Eric Jacobson (born 25 August 1942) is a British novelist and journalist. He is known for writing comic novels that often revolve around the dilemmas of British Jewish characters.Ragi, K. R., "Howard Jacobson's ''The Finkler Question'' a ...

(published 2016) # ''Vinegar Girl'' (based on '' The Taming of the Shrew''),

Anne Tyler Anne Tyler (born October 25, 1941) is an American novelist, short story writer, and literary critic. She has published twenty-four novels, including '' Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant'' (1982), '' The Accidental Tourist'' (1985), and ''Breathi ...

(published 2016) # ''Hag-Seed'' (based on '' The Tempest''), Margaret Atwood (published 2016) # ''New Boy'' (based on '' Othello''),

Tracy Chevalier Tracy Rose Chevalier (born 19 October 1962) is an American-British novelist. She is best known for her second novel, '' Girl with a Pearl Earring'', which was adapted as a 2003 film starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth. Personal backgr ...

(published 2017) # ''Dunbar'' (based on '' King Lear''),

Edward St Aubyn Edward St Aubyn (born 14 January 1960) is an English author and journalist. He is the author of ten novels, including notably the semi-autobiographical ''Patrick Melrose'' novels. In 2006, ''Mother's Milk'' was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. ...

(published 2017) # ''Macbeth'' (based on '' Macbeth''), Jo Nesbo (published 2018) # Title yet to decided (based on '' Hamlet''), Gillian Flynn (to be published in 2021)

References

Bibliography

* * Gaither, Mary E. "The Hogarth Press 1917–1946" pp. xvii–xxxiv in J. Howard Woolmer (1986), ''A checklist of the Hogarth Press 1917–1946'', Woolmer Brotherson Ltd. . * * * Kennedy, Richard. ''A Boy at the Hogarth Press'' (1972. Whittington Press.) Hesperus Press Ltd * * * Spater, George; Parsons, Ian ''A Marriage of True Minds: An Intimate Portrait of Leonard and Virginia Woolf'' (1977. London: J. Cape.) Harvest/HBJ paperback * Willis, J. H. (1992), ''Leonard and Virginia Woolf as Publishers: The Hogarth Press, 1917–41'', University Press of Virginia. . * * * Woolmer, J. Howard. "Publications of The Hogarth Press" pp. 3–178 in J. Howard Woolmer (1986), ''A checklist of the Hogarth Press 1917–1946'', Woolmer Brotherson Ltd. . * Woolmer, J. Howard. ''A Checklist of the Hogarth Press, 1917–1938'' (1976) ith a short history of the press by Mary E. GaitherWoolmer/Brotherson, 1986, 250 p.: (compar
''Hogarth Press Publications, 1917–1946''
at Duke University Library that uses the numbering of the Woolmer publication)

External links

The Modernist Archives Publishing Project - Digitised materials from the Hogarth Press archive, including editorial correspondence, publisher's ephemera, book dust jackets, plus author bios of Hogarth Press authors

A detailed account of the Hogarth Press at the Yale Modernism Lab

which features all the Hogarth Press books hand-printed by Leonard and Virginia Woolf including many variant issues, bindings and proof copies. (Records for each item can be found in the University of Toronto Library Catalogue.)
Archives of The Hogarth Press
at

Archives Hub The Archives Hub is a Jisc service, and is freely available to all. It provides a cross-search of descriptions of archives held across the United Kingdom, in over 320 institutions, including universities, colleges, specialist repositories, charit ...

The Hogarth Shakespeare Project Website
{{Authority control 1917 establishments in England Book publishing companies of the United Kingdom British companies established in 1917 Media and communications in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Organisations based in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Publishing companies based in London Publishing companies established in 1917 Random House Richmond, London Virginia Woolf