Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longmans

Longman (publisher/printer; British; 1724)

Also known as

Longman; Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown; Longman, Hurst & Co; Longman, Hurst & Rees; Longman, Hurst, Rees & Orme; Longman & Rees; Longman, Hurst, Rees & Co; Longman & Co; Longmans & Co; Longmans, Green & Co; Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, & Green; Longman, Orme, Brown, Green; Longman, Brown, Green & Longmans; Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown & Green; Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown & Co; Longman, Thomas; Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, & Roberts,; Longmans, Green, Reader, & Dyer; Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts

Address

Paternoster Row, London (1724-1950s)

Biography

Publishers of books and prints, known under a series of names reflecting successive partnerships. On the database the term Longman is used for the firm at all periods of its history.

The founder of the firm, Thomas Longman (1699-1755) was apprenticed in 1716 to John Osborn, the London bookseller, and eventually married his daughter. In1724, he took over the business of William Taylor at the Black Swan and the Ship in Paternoster Row. In 1754, he took his nephew, also Thomas Longman (1730-1797), into partnership; one of the younger Longman's sons, Thomas Norton Longman (1771-1842) succeeded to the business, in turn his sons, Thomas (1804-1879) and William (1813-1877) took over, to be followed by the former's son, Thoms Norton Longman. A succession of partners joined: 1794, Owen Rees; 1804, Hurst and Orme; 1811, Thomas Brown (1777-1869); 1824, Green. Around 1817 Longman & Co published some drawing books after Brookshaw together with John Lepard (q.v.). In 1863 the firm took over the business of John W. Parker, Son, & Bourne, and in 1890, the firm of Rivington (q.v.). Robert Guy and William L Longman became partners in 1909.

In the 1950s the firm moved from Paternoster Row to Harlow, Essex. In 1968, it was taken over by the Financial and Provincial Publishing Company, and in 1970 (under the management of Mark Longman) merged with Penguin Books, becoming the Pearson Longman Group. Extensive archives are preserved at the University of Reading.

Bibliography

Asa Briggs, 'Essays in the history of publishing in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the house of Longman, 1724-1974', London 1974.

A HISTORY OF LONGMANS AND THEIR BOOKS, 1724-1990: LONGEVITY IN PUBLISHING. Briggs, Asa. New Castle, Delaware and London, England: Oak Knoll Press and The British Library, 2008.