C. Arthur Pearson Ltd. was a British publisher of

newspapers A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

periodicals Periodical literature (singularly called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) consists of Publication, published works that appear in new releases on a regular schedule (''issues'' or ''numbers'', often numerically divided into annu ...

books A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, mo ...

, and

comics a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...

that operated from 1890 to . The company was founded by C. Arthur Pearson, later to be known as

Sir Arthur Pearson, 1st Baronet Sir Cyril Arthur Pearson, 1st Baronet (24 February 1866 – 9 December 1921), was a British newspaper Business magnate, magnate and publisher, who founded the ''Daily Express''. Family and early life Pearson was born on 24 February 186 ...

. Pearson was involved in the periodical business during its entire existence, known for publishing such titles as '' Pearson's Weekly'', '' Home Notes'', ''

Pearson's Magazine ''Pearson's Magazine'' was a monthly periodical that first appeared in Britain in 1896. A US version began publication in 1899. It specialised in speculative literature, political discussion, often of a socialist bent, and the arts. Its contribu ...

'', '' The Royal Magazine'', '' London Opinion'', and '' Men Only''. The company was in the newspaper business from 1898 to 1916, most notably with the formation of the ''

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first ...

''. C. Arthur Pearson Ltd also published materials related to the British Boy Scout movement. Initially an independent publisher, Pearson became an imprint of

George Newnes Ltd George Newnes Ltd is a British publisher. The company was founded in 1891 by George Newnes (1851–1910), considered a founding father of popular journalism. Newnes published such magazines and periodicals as '' Tit-Bits'', '' The Wide World Ma ...

around 1914. Newnes/Pearson was acquired by

Odhams Press Odhams Press was a British publishing company, operating from 1920 to 1968. Originally a magazine publisher, Odhams later expanded into book publishing and then children's comics. The company was acquired by Fleetway Publications in 1961 and th ...

in 1960; all three companies became part of the

International Publishing Company TI Media Ltd. (formerly International Publishing Company, IPC Magazines Ltd, IPC Media and Time Inc. UK) was a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year. Most of it ...

in 1961.

History

In 1890, after six years of working for

George Newnes Sir George Newnes, 1st Baronet (13 March 1851 – 9 June 1910) was a British publisher and editor and a founding figure in popular journalism. Newnes also served as a Liberal Party Member of Parliament for two decades. His company, George Newne ...

, C. Arthur Pearson left to form his own publishing business. Within three weeks of forming C. Arthur Pearson Ltd in 1890, the company began publishing the

periodical Periodical literature (singularly called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) consists of Publication, published works that appear in new releases on a regular schedule (''issues'' or ''numbers'', often numerically divided into annu ...

journal '' Pearson's Weekly'', the first issue of which sold a quarter of a million copies. In January 1894, Pearson launched the women's magazine '' Home Notes'', with the aim of dominating the penny magazine market. In 1896, Pearson launched ''

'', a monthly magazine which specialized in speculative literature, political discussion, often of a socialist bent, and the arts. In 1898, Pearson founded '' The Royal Magazine'', a monthly literary magazine which remained in publication until 1939. '' London Opinion'' was launched in 1903, running until 1954, when it merged with '' Men Only'' (started in 1935). Pearson also participated in the early British comics publishing business, launching '' Big Budget'' in 1897 and ''

Dan Leno George Wild Galvin (20 December 1860 – 31 October 1904), better known by the stage name Dan Leno, was a leading English music hall comedian and musical theatre actor during the late Victorian era. He was best known, aside from his music hall a ...

's Comic Journal'' in 1898. Pearson was in the book business from 1897 to around 1945. In the latter years of the 19th century, Pearson published a number of notable first editions, including

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, hist ...

' ''

The Invisible Man ''The Invisible Man'' is an 1897 science fiction novel by British writer H. G. Wells. Originally serialised in '' Pearson's Weekly'' in 1897, it was published as a novel the same year. The Invisible Man to whom the title refers is Griffin, a s ...

'' (1897),

Bram Stoker Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912), better known by his pen name Bram Stoker, was an Irish novelist who wrote the 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. The book is widely considered a milestone in Vampire fiction, and one of t ...

's ''

Miss Betty ''Miss Betty'' is a romance novel by Bram Stoker, written in 1898. It was published one year after the release of Stoker's ''Dracula ''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. ...

'' (1898), and

Baroness Orczy Baroness Emma Orczy (full name: ''Emma Magdalena Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála Orczy de Orci'') (; 23 September 1865 – 12 November 1947), usually known as Baroness Orczy (the name under which she was published) or to her family and friends ...

's ''

The Emperor's Candlesticks ''The Emperor's Candlesticks'' is an 1899 historical novel by Baroness Orczy. Written soon after the birth of her son John, it was her first book as an author rather than translator and was a commercial failure. As in the Scarlet Pimpernel, th ...

'' (1899). Pearson published books by such writers as Winifred Graham, Percy F. Westerman, Norman Hunter, Fâ’iz El-Ghusein, Robert Leighton, Marie Connor, and Catherine Christian. In 1898, Pearson purchased the ''Morning Herald'', and in 1900 merged it into his new creation, the halfpenny ''

''. The ''Express'' was a departure from the papers of its time and created an immediate impact by carrying news instead of only advertisements on its front page. Pearson was successful in establishing papers in provincial locations such as the

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

''Daily Gazette''. Pearson came into direct competition with the ''

Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily Middle-market newspaper, middle-market Tabloid journalism, tabloid conservative newspaper founded in 1896 and published in London. , it has the List of newspapers in the United Kingdom by circulation, h ...

'' and in the resulting commercial fight almost took control of ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'', being nominated as its manager, but the deal fell through. In 1904 Pearson purchased the struggling ''The Standard'' and its sister paper the ''

Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...

'' for £700,000 from the Johnstone family. He merged the ''Evening Standard'' with his ''

St James's Gazette The ''St James's Gazette'' was a London evening newspaper published from 1880 to 1905. It was founded by the Conservative Henry Hucks Gibbs, later Baron Aldenham, a director of the Bank of England 1853–1901 and its governor 1875–1877; the ...

'' and changed the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

stance of both papers into a pro- Liberal one, but was unsuccessful in arresting the slide in sales and in 1910 sold them to the MP Sir Davison Dalziel, and Sir Alexander Henderson. The ''Daily Express'' eventually passed, in November 1916, under the control of the Canadian–British tycoon Sir Max Aitken, later

Lord Beaverbrook William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook (25 May 1879 – 9 June 1964), was a Canadian-British newspaper publisher and backstage politician who was an influential figure in British media and politics of the first half of the 20th century ...

. Reflecting its founder's support of the British Boy Scout movement, C. Arthur Pearson Ltd was responsible for a number of Scouting publications, including '' The Scout'' magazine, launched in 1908; the ''

Scouting for Boys ''Scouting for Boys: A handbook for instruction in good citizenship'' is a book on Boy Scout training, published in various editions since 1908. Early editions were written and illustrated by Robert Baden-Powell with later editions being exten ...

'' handbook, published in various editions beginning in 1908; and ''

The Wolf Cub's Handbook ''The Wolf Cub's Handbook'' is an instructional handbook on Wolf Cubs training, published in various editions since December 1916. Early editions were written and illustrated by Robert Baden-Powell with later editions being extensively rewritte ...

'', by

Robert Baden-Powell Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, ( ; 22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941) was a British Army officer, writer, founder of The Boy Scouts Association and its first Chief Scout, and founder, with ...

, founder of the worldwide scouting movement (1916). Beginning to lose his sight due to

glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that can lead to damage of the optic nerve. The optic nerve transmits visual information from the eye to the brain. Glaucoma may cause vision loss if left untreated. It has been called the "silent thief of ...

despite a 1908 operation, C. Arthur Pearson was progressively forced from 1910 onwards to relinquish his newspaper interests.

Imprint of George Newnes Ltd

Pearson himself retained a cooperative relationship with his old employer,

, and by 1914, C. Arthur Pearson Ltd had essentially become an imprint of Newnes. With Pearson's death in 1921, this arrangement was formalized, and in 1929 Newnes purchased all outstanding shares of Pearson's company."George Newnes Co,"
''Grace's Guide to British Industrial History''. Retrieved Apr. 1, 2021. The Pearson imprint focused mostly on magazines from the 1930s through the 1950s, known for ongoing titles like '' Home Notes'' and '' London Opinion'', as well as '' Men Only''. Pearson dipped into the pulp magazine market with short-lived titles like '' Scoops'' (1934) and ''

Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

'' (1938–1939). ''

'', '' Pearson's Weekly'', and '' The Royal Magazine'' were all canceled in 1939, on the eve of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Notable comics titles published by Pearson in the 1950s and early 1960s included the

romance comics Romance comics are a genre of comic book, comic books that were most popular during the Golden Age of Comics. The market for comics, which had been growing rapidly throughout the 1940s, began to plummet after the end of World War II when military ...

''Mirabelle'', ''The New Glamour'', and ''Marty''; and the ''Picture Stories'' and ''Picture Library'' series.

Acquisition by Odhams and then IPC; closure

By 1959, Newness/Pearson was considered one of London's three leading magazine publishers — along with

and the Hulton Press; that year Odhams acquired both of its rivals."Odhams Press,"
International Catalogue of Super-Heroes. Retrieved Mar. 3, 2021. In 1961, Newnes/Pearson became part of the

International Publishing Corporation TI Media Ltd. (formerly International Publishing Company, IPC Magazines Ltd, IPC Media and Time Inc. UK) was a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year. Most of it ...

.Birch, Paul
"Speaking Frankly,"
''Birmingham Mail'' (14 December 2008). The Pearson imprint disappeared sometime around 1965.

Notable publications

Periodicals

* ''The Boy's Leader'' — a

story paper A story paper is a periodical publication similar to a literary magazine, but featuring illustrations and text stories, and aimed towards children and teenagers. Also known in Britain as "boys' weeklies", story papers were phenomenally popula ...

* ''Glamour'' (725 issues, 1942–1956) — turned into ''The New Glamour'' * '' Home Notes'' (1894–1958) * '' London Opinion'' (1903–1954) * '' Men Only'' (1935– 1965; continued by other publishers) * ''

'' (1896–1939) * '' Pearson's Weekly'' (1890–1939) * '' The Royal Magazine'' (1898–1939) * '' Scoops'' (10 February 1934 – 23 June 1934) * '' The Scout'' (1908–1939; continued by

The Boy Scouts Association The Scout Association is the largest organisation in the Scout Movement in the Scouting in the United Kingdom, United Kingdom. Following the rapid development of the Scouting, Scout Movement from 1907, The Scout Association was formed in 1910 ...

)

Newspapers

* ''

'' (1900–1916; sold to Beaverbrook Newspapers) * '' Morning Herald'' (1898–1900; merged into ''Daily Express'') * ''

'' (1903–1905; merged into ''Evening Standard'') * ''The Standard'' / ''

'' (1904–1910; sold to Davison Dalziel)

Books

* ''

'' by

(1899) * ''

'' by

(1897) * '' Martyred Armenia'' by Fâ’iz El-Ghusein (1917) * ''

'' by

(1898) * ''Pearson's Easy Dictionary'' (1912) * ''

'' (various editions, 1908–1961) * ''Victory Over Blindness: How it Was Won by the Men of St Dunstan's'' by C. Arthur Pearson (1919) * ''

'' by

(1916) * ''Amusements for the Home'' series: ** The Drawing Room Entertainer by Cecil H. Bullivant (1903) ** Magic Made Easy by David Devant (1903) ** After-Dinner Sleights and Pocket Tricks by C. Lang Neil (1904) ** Modern Card Manipulation by C. Lang Neil (1906) ** Tricks for Everyone by David Devant (1910) ** The New Book of Puzzles by C. Arthur Pearson (1911) ** Indoor Games for Children and Young People by E. M. Baker (1912) ** Simple Conjuring Tricks by Will Goldston (1913) ** The Complete Book of Hand Shadows by Louis Nikola (1913) ** Card Tricks without Sleight of Hand or Apparatus by L. Widdop (1914) ** Conjuring with Coins by T. Nelson Downs edited by Nathan Dean (1916) ** Pearson's Humorous Reciter (1918) ** Fun on the Billiard Table by Stancliffe (1919) ** Paper Magic by Will Blyth (1920) ** Chemical Magic by V. E. Johnson (1920) ** Match-Stick Magic by Will Blyth (1921) ** Ventriloquism and Juggling by Harold C. King & E. T. John (1921) ** Handkerchief Magic by Will Blyth (1922) ** Water Wizardry by Arthur Ainslie (1922) ** Have You Heard this One? by Charles Vivian (1922) ** More Paper Magic by Will Blyth (1923) ** Simplified Conjuring for All by Norman Hunter (1923) ** The Pearson Puzzle Book by Mr X (1923) ** Impromptu Conjuring Without Apparatus by Will Blyth (1924) ** The Amateur Performer by W. J. Seymour (1924) ** My Mysteries by Ivor C. Smith (1924) ** New And Easy Magic by Norman Hunter (1925) ** Money Magic - Entertaining Tricks & Amusements with Coins by Will Blyth (1926) ** Original Magic for All by Bert Douglas (1927) ** Broadcast Conjuring Tricks by Cyril Shields (1930) ** The Best Tricks and How to Do Them by David Devant (1931)

Comic books

* '' Big Budget'' (614 issues, 1897–1909) * ''

's Comic Journal'' (93 issues, 26 February 1898 – 2 December 1899) * ''

Mirabelle Mirabelle plum (''Prunus domestica'' subsp. ''syriaca'') is a cultivar group of plum trees of the genus ''Prunus''. It is believed that the plum was cultivated from a wild fruit grown in Anatolia. Description The mirabelle is identified by it ...

'' (10 September 1956- 1965; continued by IPC/Fleetway until 1977) * ''The New Glamour'' (103 issues, 16 October 1956 – 1958) — continuation of the non-comics periodical ''Glamour'' (1942–1956) * ''Marty'' (162 issues, 23 January 1960 – 23 February 1963; merged into ''Mirabelle'') * ''Picture Library'' series: ** ''English Heart Beat Picture Library'' (11 issues, 1965–

966 Year 966 (Roman numerals, CMLXVI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * 23 June - Arab-Byzantine Wars, Byzantine-Arab War: Arab-Byzantine prisoner exchanges, A prisoner excha ...

** ''Film Picture Library'' (3 issues, 1 July 1959 – 1959) **''Hospital Nurse Picture Library'' (42 issues, 1964– ecember 1965 ** ''Picture Romance Library'' (414 issues, October 1956– 959 ** ''Sea War Picture Library'' (14 issues, 1962) ** ''Secret Agent Picture Library'' (20 issues, 1961–?) ** ''Western Picture Library'' (92 issues, 1958–1962; 4 issues ( arch 1965��1965?) * ''Picture Stories'' series: ** ''Air War Picture Stories'' (54 issues, February 1961 – 1962) ** ''Picture Stories of World War II'' (85 issues, 1960–?) ** ''Private-Eye Picture Stories'' (18 issues, 1963–?) ** ''T. V. Picture Stories'' (57 issues, une 1958��March 1960) ** ''Wild West Picture Stories'' (1 issue, May 1960) ** ''Young Lovers Picture Story Library'' (26 issues, 1958–July 1959)

References

Sources

* {{gcdb publisher, id=4887, title=Pearson Newspaper companies of the United Kingdom Book publishing companies of the United Kingdom Magazine publishing companies of the United Kingdom Comic book publishing companies of the United Kingdom British companies established in 1890 Publishing companies established in 1890 1890 establishments in England Odhams Press