History
George Bell & Sons was founded by George Bell as an educational bookseller, with the intention of selling the output of London university presses. It became known as an independent publisher of classics and children's books.
One of Bell's first publishing investments was a series of Railway Companions, consisting of timetable booklets and tourist guides. Within a year, the publishing side of the business had outgrown the retail side, and Bell moved from his original offices to Fleet Street. The firm, then trading as G. Bell & Sons, expanded into books on art, architecture, and archaeology, as well as the classics. Bell was also associated with Henry Cole.
In the mid-1850s, Bell expanded into children's books, including works by Margaret Gatty (Parables from Nature) and Juliana Horatia Ewing (the Nursery Magazine). In 1854, he acquired J. & J. J. Deighton, a bookseller in Cambridge, which was renamed Deighton, Bell, & Company. In 1856, Bell entered into partnership with Frederick Daldy, and the firm was renamed Bell & Daldy.
With Daldy, Bell published poetry collections, including the Aldine Edition of British Poets and works by Andrew Lang and Robert Bridges. Bell also acquired the British rights to Webster's Dictionary. Bell & Daldy later took over the libraries of Henry George Bohn, a Covent Garden publisher, and moved to Bohn's former premises. With a larger publishing list, the Fleet Street retail location was no longer needed, and the firm left Fleet Street in 1867.
Daldy left the firm in 1873 to join Virtue, Spalding, & Daldy, and the company was renamed George Bell & Sons. In 1888, Bell left the management of the firm to his sons, Edward and Ernest, although he remained involved in the business until his death in 1890. In 1910, the firm became a limited liability company as George Bell & Sons, Ltd..
Edward Bell died in 1926. His son Arthur joined the board and became chairman in 1936. Other board members gradually took over the management of the firm, and Arthur died in 1968. In 1977, Robin Philip Hyman became managing director of Bell & Hyman, Ltd., and the firm moved to Queen Elizabeth Street, London. In 1986, Bell & Hyman Ltd merged with George Allen & Unwin to form Unwin Hyman. Unwin Hyman was acquired by HarperCollins in 1990.
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