The Amalgamated Press (AP) was a British newspaper and magazine publishing company founded by journalist and entrepreneur Alfred Harmsworth (1865–1922) in 1901, gathering his many publishing ventures together under one banner. At one point the largest publishing company in the world, AP employed writers such as Arthur Mee, John Alexander Hammerton, Edwy Searles Brooks, and

Charles Hamilton Charles Hamilton may refer to: People in Canada * Charles Hamilton (bishop) (1834–1919), Anglican bishop of Ottawa * Charles Edward Hamilton (1844–1919), Canadian politician * Sir Charles Hamilton, 2nd Baronet, of Marlborough House (1767–184 ...

. Its subsidiary, the Educational Book Company, published '' The Harmsworth Self-Educator'', '' The Children's Encyclopædia'', and '' Harmsworth's Universal Encyclopaedia''. The company's newspapers included the ''

Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...

'', the ''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ci ...

'', '' The Evening News'', ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper Sunday editions, published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group, Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. ...

'', and ''

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'' ...

''. At its height, AP published over 70 magazines and operated three large printing works and paper mills in

South London South London is the southern part of London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the boroughs, in whole or in part, of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Richmond, Southwark, ...

."Amalgamated Press,"
''Grace's Guide to British Industrial History''. Retrieved Apr. 19, 2021.

History

Harmsworth Brothers Ltd

In 1888 Alfred Harmsworth and his younger brother Harold (1868–1940) started Harmsworth Brothers, with Alfred acting as publisher and Harold handling the finances. The first thing they did was found a paper called '' Answers to Correspondents'', which was modeled after another popular paper called '' Tit-Bits'' (published by George Newnes). Harmsworth entered the comic magazine market in 1890 with '' Comic Cuts'' and '' Illustrated Chips''; The comic '' Wonder'', launched in 1892, was part of a long string of connected titles which stretched from 1892 to 1953, known by a variety of additional names, including '' Funny Wonder'' and ''Jester''. Also in 1890, Harmsworth began publishing periodicals to challenge and compete with the

penny dreadfuls Penny dreadfuls were cheap popular serial literature produced during the nineteenth century in the United Kingdom. The pejorative term is roughly interchangeable with penny horrible, penny awful, and penny blood. The term typically referred t ...

popular among British youth. Priced at one half-penny, Harmsworth's story papers were cheaper and, at least initially, were more respectable than the competition. Harmsworth claimed to be motivated by a wish to challenge the pernicious influence of penny dreadfuls. AP's '' Halfpenny Marvel'', launched in 1893, was soon followed by a number of other Harmsworth half-penny periodicals, such as ''

The Union Jack The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the '' de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...

'' (1894–1933) and ''Pluck'' (also started in 1894), and the serialized boys' story papers '' The Boys' Friend'' (1895). At first the stories were high-minded moral tales, reportedly based on true experiences, but it was not long before these papers started using the same kind of material as the publications they competed against. Beginning in 1894, the Harmsworth brothers dove into the newspaper business, first acquiring '' The Evening News'' and the ''Edinburgh Daily Record''. Harmsworth founded the ''

'' in 1896, which was a success, having the world record for daily circulation until Harmsworth's death. Harmsworth founded the woman's magazine '' Home Chat'' (1895–1959) to compete with

C. Arthur Pearson Sir Cyril Arthur Pearson, 1st Baronet, (24 February 1866 – 9 December 1921), was a British newspaper magnate and publisher, best known for founding the ''Daily Express''. Family and early life Pearson was born in the village of Wooke ...

's '' Home Notes''. In 1896, Harmsworth Brothers Ltd was incorporated as a

limited company In a limited company, the liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by Share (finance), shares or by guarantee. In a company limited by ...

. By this time, combined weekly sales of the company's publications exceeded one million copies, more than any other magazine publisher in the world.

Formation and expansion of Amalgamated Press

In 1901, Harmsworth gathered his many publishing ventures together under the banner of Amalgamated Press. In 1902, the company opened offices in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

, also setting up a system of codes and telegraphs that streamlined the layout and printing process. Expanding his newspaper empire, Harmsworth initiated the ''

'' during 1903, and rescued the financially desperate ''

'' and ''

'' during 1905 and 1908, respectively. During 1908, he also acquired ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, wh ...

''. The quality of the AP story papers began to improve throughout the early 20th century. They also proliferated, with AP launching new boys' papers like '' The Gem'' (1907–1939) and '' The Magnet'' (1908–1940). By the time of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

, papers such as ''Union Jack'' dominated the market in the UK. Post-World War I story papers launched by AP included ''

The Champion A champion is a first-place winner in a competition, along with other definitions discussed in the article. Champion or Champions may also refer to: Brands and enterprises * Champion (sportswear), a clothing manufacturer * Champion (spark p ...

'' (1922–1955) and ''The Thriller'' (1929–1937). Recognizing the popularity of the story papers with girls, AP editor Reg Eves launched a girl's line, the most notable being '' School Friend'' (1919–1929), ''

Schoolgirls' Own The ''Schoolgirls' Own'' was a British weekly story paper aimed at girls. Published by , it was launched in February 1921 and ran for 798 issues until May 1936, when it was merged with a sister publication. The main feature centred on the Mo ...

'' (1921–1936), and ''

The Schoolgirl ''The Schoolgirl'' was a British weekly story paper aimed at girls. Published by Amalgamated Press (AP), ''The Schoolgirl'' ran in two series, the first from 1922 to 1923, and the second (essentially continuing a sister publication) from 1929 to ...

'' (1922–1923; 1929–1940). AP's '' My Magazine'' was published from 1908 to 1933 with different names; it had articles on science, technology, geography, and current events. From 1912 Amalgamated Press was based at Fleetway House in Farringdon Street, London.W. O. G. Lofts, "Fleetway House is no more," ''C.D.'' #375 (March 1978)
Archived at the Friardale website
Amalgamated Press acquired the assets of James Henderson & Sons Ltd in 1920. "James Henderson and Sons", ''Graces Guide''
Retrieved 22 November 2020 AP story papers faced tougher competition in the 1930s with the rise of

DC Thomson DC Thomson is a media company based in Dundee, Scotland. Founded by David Couper Thomson in 1905, it is best known for publishing '' The Dundee Courier'', '' The Evening Telegraph'' and ''The Sunday Post'' newspapers, and the comics '' Oor ...

's line, including '' The Hotspur'' (launched in 1933). '' Comic Cuts'' and '' Illustrated Chips'' continued strongly into the 20th century; other notable pre- War humorous comics titles published by AP included '' Film Fun'' (launched in 1920), '' Radio Fun'' (1938), and '' Knockout'' (1939).

Harmsworth's death; Allied Newspapers; William Berry

Alfred Harmsworth died in 1922, and in 1926 Amalgamated Press was bought by

William William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conq ...

and Gomer Berry of Allied Newspapers.Herbert Allingham biography
golden-duck.co.uk website; accessed 2013-09-16. Shortly after this sale, in 1927, AP acquired and continued publishing a number of Cassell & Co.'s periodicals, including '' Cassell's Magazine'', '' The Story-Teller'', and '' Chums''. The Berry brothers dissolved their partnership in 1937, with William Berry (Lord Camrose) retaining Amalgamated Press. Editor Leonard Matthews (1914–1997), who joined AP in 1939, was a leading figure in the company's comics titles for 20 years, eventually becoming Manager Editor. The onset of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, in the years 1940–1942, brought the merger and cancellation of a number of long-running AP comics titles, including ''Butterfly'' and ''Puck'' (both launched in 1904), '' Jester'' (launched in 1912), '' Tiger Tim's Weekly'' (1919), ''Sunbeam'' (1922), ''The Joker'' (1927), ''Larks'' (1927), ''Bubbles'' (1921), ''Chicks' Own'' (1929), and '' Funny Wonder'' series 3 (dating back to 1914). Seymour Berry, 2nd Viscount Camrose, the eldest son of William Berry, was Vice Chairman of Amalgamated Press from 1942 until the company's sale in 1959. In May 1949, AP acquired the publisher J. B. Allen, including their comics titles '' The Comet'' and '' Sun'', which they continued under the same names. AP launched a number of notable comics in the 1950s, including '' School Friend'' (launched in 1950; considered the first girls' comic), ''

Lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

'' (1952), ''

Tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on ...

'' (1954), and the young children's comics '' Jack and Jill'' and '' Playhour'' (both 1954). Another round of mergers and cancellations of long-running AP comics titles occurred in the years 1952–1957, including '' Illustrated Chips'' and '' Comic Cuts'' (both launched in 1890), ''Jingles'' (launched in 1934), ''Tip Top'' (launched in 1934), ''Playbox'' (launched in 1925), ''The Rainbow'' (launched in 1914), and ''Tiny Tots'' (launched in 1920).

Acquisition by the Mirror Group/IPC

In 1959, Amalgamated Press was bought by the Mirror Group and renamed Fleetway Publications (after the name of AP's headquarters, Fleetway House). AP titles that were continued by IPC/Fleetway included: * ''Confessions Library'' (1959 series) * ''Cowboy Picture Library'' (1950 series; originally known as ''Cowboy Comics'') * ''Famous Romance Library'' (1956 series) * '' Film Fun'' (1920 series) * '' Girls' Crystal'' (1935 series) * '' Knockout'' (1939 series) * ''

'' (1952 series) * ''Marilyn'' (1955 series) * '' Playhour'' (1954 series) * '' Radio Fun'' (1938 series) * ''Roxy'' (1958 series) * '' School Friend'' (1950 series) * ''Super Detective Library'' (1953 series) * '' Thriller Comics'' (1951 series) * ''

'' (1954 series) * ''Top Spot'' (1958 series) * ''TV Fun'' (1953 series) * ''Valentine'' (1957 series) With the transition to Fleetway, the AP titles '' The Comet'', '' Sun'', and ''

Tiny Tots Tiny may refer to: Kane Places * Tiny, Ontario, a township in Canada * Tiny, Virginia, an unincorporated community in the US * Tiny Glacier, Wyoming, US Computing * Tiny BASIC, a dialect of the computer programming language BASIC * Tiny Encrypt ...

'' were all merged into other AP titles: ''

'', ''

'', and '' Playhour'', respectively. '' Radio Fun'' was continued by Fleetway for a short time and then merged into ''

Buster Buster may refer to: People First name *Buster Drayton (born 1952), American boxer *Buster Glosson, retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant general *Buster Mathis (1943–1995), American heavyweight boxer *Buster Mathis Jr. (born 1970), American heavyw ...

'' in 1960. Similarly, ''TV Fun'' was renamed ''TV Fan'', continued for a short time, and then was merged into ''Valentine''. In 1961, the Mirror Group also acquired Odhams Press (which by that point owned

Longacre Press Longacre Press was a publisher based in Dunedin, New Zealand. The company was founded in 1995 by Barbara Larson, Paula Boock, and Lynsey Ferrari, three former workers at Dunedin's McIndoe Publishing.Cawley, N.,Publish and be praised", ''New Z ...

and

Newnes Newnes (), an abandoned oil shale mining site of the Wolgan Valley, is located in the Central Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. The site that was operational in the early 20th century is now partly surrounded by Wollemi Na ...

/ Pearson). The group was renamed the International Publishing Corporation in 1963, although the component companies continued to use their own names until 1968 when they were reorganised into the unitary IPC Magazines. The "Fleetway" banner continued to be used for some publications until IPC's comics line was sold under the name Fleetway Publications to

Robert Maxwell Ian Robert Maxwell (born Ján Ludvík Hyman Binyamin Hoch; 10 June 1923 – 5 November 1991) was a Czechoslovak-born British media proprietor, member of parliament (MP), suspected spy, and fraudster. Early in his life, Maxwell escaped from ...

in 1987. Of the comics titles IPC acquired from Amalgamated Press, only five survived into the 1970s: '' Jack and Jill'', ''

'', '' Playhour'', ''

'', and ''

Valentine A valentine is a card or gift given on Valentine's Day, or one's sweetheart. Valentine or Valentines may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Valentine (name), a given name and a surname, including a list of people and fictional char ...

''; of those five, ''Jack and Jill'', ''Playhour'', and ''Tiger'' survived until the mid-1980s. Rebellion Developments currently owns all comics characters and titles created by IPC's subsidiaries after 1 January 1970, together with 26 specified characters which appeared in ''

''; while IPC currently retains its other comics characters and titles, including Sexton Blake, The Steel Claw, and Battler Britton.

Newspapers

* ''

'' (founded 1896; acquired by

Harold Harmsworth Harold Sidney Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere, (26 April 1868 – 26 November 1940) was a leading British newspaper proprietor who owned Associated Newspapers Ltd. He is best known, like his brother Alfred Harmsworth, later Viscount Nort ...

in 1922) * ''

'' (founded 1903; sold to Harold Harmsworth in 1913) * '' The Evening News'' (acquired in 1894) * ''Edinburgh Daily Record'' (founded 1894) * ''

'' (acquired in 1903; sold in 1911) * ''

'' (acquired in 1908; sold in 1915) * ''

'' (acquired in 1908; sold in 1922)

Books

* ''The Boy's Book of Everyday Science'' (1937), edited by Charles Ray * ''The Concise Household Encyclopedia'' (1932–1939) edited by J A Hammerton. * '' Everybody's Enquire Within'', edited by Charles Ray, published in 55 weekly instalments from 1937 to 1938. * ''The Great War: The Standard History of the All-Europe Conflict'' (1914-1919), edited by Wilson and Hammerton * '' Harmsworth's Universal Encyclopaedia'' (1921/1922) * "Wonders" — all edited by Clarence Winchester, and published by Amalgamated Press as weekly instalments, with a book binding service available to keep as two volumes for each series. ** ''Railway Wonders of the World'', 50 installments (1935–36) ** ''Shipping Wonders of the World'', 55 installments (1936–37) ** ''Wonders of World Engineering'', 53 installments (1937–38) ** ''Wonders of World Aviation'', 40 installments (1938) * ''The World of Wonder: 10,000 Things Every Child Should Know'' (1933), edited by Charles Ray. Published in two volumes: Vol. One, pages 1 to 732; Vol. Two, pages 733 to 1460. An illustrated compendium of mainly science and technology, with some historical subjects.

Periodicals

* '' Cassell's Magazine'' (1927–1932) — acquired from Cassell & Co., where it originated in 1897; merged into ''Storyteller'' * '' The Children's Encyclopædia'' (1908–1964) * '' The Children's Newspaper'' (1919–1965) * '' Everybody's Weekly'' (1950–1959) — acquired from Everybody's Publications Ltd., where it originated in 1913; merged into Odhams' '' John Bull'' * ''The Green Magazine'' (1922–1923) * ''

The Harmsworth Red Magazine ''The Harmsworth Red Magazine'', also known as ''Harmsworth's Red Magazine'' or just ''The Red Magazine'', was a fiction magazine published by Alfred Harmsworth's Amalgamated Press in 620 issues from June 1908 to September 1939. It was edited by J ...

'' (1908–1939) * '' The Harmsworth Self-Educator'' (1905–1907) * '' Home Chat'' (1895–1959) * '' London Magazine'' (1898–1933) * ''

The Modern Boy ''The Modern Boy'' (later ''Modern Boy'') was a British boys' magazine published between 1928 and 1939 by the Amalgamated Press. It ran to some 610 issues. It was first launched on 11 February 1928 and cost 2d (two old pence, when there were 2 ...

'' (1928–1939) * '' My Magazine'' (1908–1933) * '' Picture Show'' (1919–1960) * '' Storyteller'' (1927–1937) — acquired from Cassell & Co., where it originated in 1907 * '' Woman & Home'' (from 1926) * '' Woman's Weekly'' (from 1911) * '' The World'' (1905-1920), a weekly society paper originated in 1874 — acquired from the widow of Edmund Hodgson Yates in 1905 * ''The Yellow Magazine'' (1921–1926)"Yellow Magazine, The,"
''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (APRIL 10, 2015).

Story papers

* '' The Boys' Friend'' (1895–1927) * '' The Boys' Herald'' (1903–1913) * ''The Boy's Realm'' (1902–1916; 1919–1929)"The Boys' Realm,"
Comic Book+. Retrieved Apr. 15, 2021. * ''

'' (1922–1955) * '' Chums'' (1927–1941) — acquired from Cassell & Co., where it originated in 1892 * '' The Gem'' (1907–1939) * '' Halfpenny Marvel'' (1893–1922) * '' The Magnet'' (1908–1940) * ''Pluck'' (1894–1916; 1922–1924) * '' School Friend'' (1919–1929) * ''

'' (1922–1923; 1929–1940) * ''

'' (1921–1936) * ''The Thriller'' (1929–1937) * ''The Triumph'' (1924–1940) * ''

'' (1894–1933)

Notable comics titles

Notes

References

External links

Complete List of Harmsworth/Fleetway/IPC comic titles

Amalgamated Press
at the Grand Comics Database * {{Authority control 1901 establishments in England British companies established in 1901 Comic book publishing companies of the United Kingdom Magazine publishing companies of the United Kingdom Publishing companies established in 1901 Publishers of Sexton Blake