C. Arthur Pearson Ltd was a British publisher of

newspapers A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written 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 politics, business, sport ...

periodicals A periodical literature (also called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) is a published work that appears in a new edition on a regular schedule. The most familiar example is a newspaper, but a magazine or a journal are also example ...

books A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physica ...

, and comics that operated from 1890 to 1965. 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 magnate and publisher, best known for founding the ''Daily Express''. Family and early life Pearson was born in the village of Wooke ...

. 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 ''The Royal Magazine'' was a monthly British literary magazine that was published between 1898 and 1939. Its founder and publisher was Sir Arthur Pearson. ''The Royal Magazines first edition was published in November 1898. According to this issu ...

'', ''

London Opinion ''London Opinion and Today'', often known as ''London Opinion'', was a British magazine published from 1903 until 1954, when it was merged with Pearson's '' Men Only''. It ran weekly from 26 December 1903 to 27 June 1931, and was then published m ...

'', and ''

Men Only ''Men Only'' is a British magazine title that originated in 1935 as a pocket-sized men's magazine. It became a standard-sized pin-up magazine in the 1950s and was relaunched in 1971 by Paul Raymond Publications as a soft-core pornographic maga ...

''. The company was in the newspaper business from 1898 to 1916, most notably with the formation of the '' Daily Express''. 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 Mag ...

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 (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 its tit ...

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 New ...

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 ...

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

periodical A periodical literature (also called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) is a published work that appears in a new edition on a regular schedule. The most familiar example is a newspaper, but a magazine or a journal are also exampl ...

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 ''

'', a monthly

literary magazine A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry, and essays, along with literary criticism Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evalu ...

which remained in publication until 1939. ''

'' was launched in 1903, running until 1954, when it merged with ''

'' (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 ...

'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' ''

The Invisible Man ''The Invisible Man'' is a science fiction novel by H. G. Wells. Originally serialized 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 scientist who has devo ...

'' (1897),

Bram Stoker Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912) was an Irish author who is celebrated for his 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. During his lifetime, he was better known as the personal assistant of actor Sir Henry Irving and busin ...

's '' Miss Betty'' (1898), and

Baroness Orczy Baroness Emma Orczy (full name: Emma Magdolna 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 as Em ...

's '' The Emperor's Candlesticks'' (1899). Pearson published books by such writers as

Winifred Graham Winifred Graham (born London 21 April 1873; died Hampton-on-Thames 5 February 1950) was an English novelist and anti-Mormon activist. Childhood Matilda Winifred Muriel Graham was born on 21 April 1873 in South Kensington, London. She was bapt ...

Percy F. Westerman Percy Francis Westerman (1876 – 22 February 1959) was an English author of children's literature, with a prolific output. Many of his books are adventure stories with military and naval themes. Biography He was born in Portsmouth, England in ...

, Norman Hunter,

Fâ’iz El-Ghusein Faiz El-Ghusein ( ar, فايز الغصين) (1883–1968) was a sheikh from the Hauran, and a former official of the Turkish Government. He is most widely remembered as the author of '' Martyred Armenia'', an alleged eyewitness account of Armeni ...

Robert Leighton The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, h ...

Marie Connor Marie Connor Leighton (4 February 186728 January 1941) was a prolific author of serial fiction and melodramatic novels. She married fellow writer Robert Leighton and her most famous work ''Convict 99'' was written jointly with him. However her wr ...

, and

Catherine Christian Catherine Christian (1901–1985) was an English novelist, known for her children's books and retellings of Arthurian legend. She is classified as having produced 45 works in 85 publications in two languages (English and French) and with 1,0 ...

. In 1898, Pearson purchased the ''Morning Herald'', and in 1900 merged it into his new creation, the halfpenny '' Daily Express''. 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 and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

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

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

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'' ...

'', 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 ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' 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 that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

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), generally known as Lord Beaverbrook, was a Canadian-British newspaper publisher and backstage politician who was an influential figure in British media and politics o ...

. 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 extens ...

'' handbook, published in various editions beginning in 1908; and '' The Wolf Cub's Handbook'', by

Robert Baden-Powell Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, ( ; (Commonly pronounced by others as ) 22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941) was a British Army officer, writer, founder and first Chief Scout of the wor ...

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

glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that result in damage to the optic nerve (or retina) and cause vision loss. The most common type is open-angle (wide angle, chronic simple) glaucoma, in which the drainage angle for fluid within the eye re ...

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 ''

'', as well as ''

''. Pearson dipped into the pulp magazine market with short-lived titles like '' Scoops'' (1934) and ''

Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama ...

'' (1938–1939). ''

'', '' Pearson's Weekly'', and ''

'' were all canceled in 1939, on the eve 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 ...

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

romance comics Romance comics is a comics genre depicting strong and close romantic love and its attendant complications such as jealousy, marriage, divorce, betrayal, and heartache. The term is generally associated with an American comic books genre published ...

''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 Sir Edward George Warris Hulton (29 November 1906 – 8 October 1988) was a British magazine publisher and writer. Early life Hulton was born to Sir Edward Hulton, 1st Baronet, a newspaper publisher and racehorse owner originally from Manchest ...

; 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 (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 its tit ...

.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 * ''Glamour'' (725 issues, 1942–1956) — turned into ''The New Glamour'' * '' Home Notes'' (1894–1958) * ''

'' (1903–1954) * ''

'' (1935– 1965; continued by other publishers) * ''

'' (1896–1939) * '' Pearson's Weekly'' (1890–1939) * ''

'' (1898–1939) * '' Scoops'' (10 February 1934 – 23 June 1934) * '' The Scout'' (1908–1939; continued by The Boy Scouts Association)

Newspapers

* '' Daily Express'' (1900–1916; sold to

Beaverbrook Newspapers 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 ...

) * '' Morning Herald'' (1898–1900; merged into ''Daily Express'') * ''

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

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

Books

* '' The Emperor's Candlesticks'' by

(1899) * ''

'' by H. G. Wells (1897) * ''

Martyred Armenia Faiz El-Ghusein ( ar, فايز الغصين) (1883–1968) was a sheikh from the Hauran, and a former official of the Turkish Government. He is most widely remembered as the author of '' Martyred Armenia'', an alleged eyewitness account of Armeni ...

'' by

(1917) * '' Miss Betty'' 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

(1919) * '' The Wolf Cub's Handbook'' by

(1916)

Comic books

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

's Comic Journal'' (93 issues, 26 February 1898 – 2 December 1899) * '' Mirabelle'' (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 ** ''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 An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vau ...

��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 Une is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Eastern Province, part of the department of Cundinamarca. The urban centre is located at an altitude of at a distance of from the capital Bogotá. The municipality borders Chipaque in the nort ...

��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