The publishing house William Heinemann Limited was founded in London in 1890 by William Heinemann. Through the instincts and endeavours of its founder the company became one of the most successful and respected houses in the British publishing industry.
The company was initially recognised as a publisher of classical and contemporary European writing in translation, but soon developed a list of distinguished literary writers. It also published popular fiction in modest editions, and books on art, travel and exploration. From the mid-forties the company expanded its educational division, which became a separate company, Heinemann Educational, in 1961. Subsidiaries of Heinemann Educational were established world-wide, including Heinemann Educational Australia. The subsidiary Heinemann Publishing, established in New Hampshire in 1978, soon became a leading publisher of professional resources and educational services for teachers in the USA.
Following William Heinemann's sudden death in 1920, F. N. Doubleday purchased a controlling interest in the firm. Doubleday sold the firm back to the directors in 1932, and it became Heinemann Holdings Limited, and Heinemann Publishers Limited in 1959. In 1960 it became a subsidiary of Thomas Tilling, which in turn was taken over by BTR in 1983. Heinemann merged with Hamlyn's Octopus Publishing Group in 1985, and that group was purchased by Reed International in 1987. Heinemann became an imprint of the Harcourt Educational division of Reed Elsevier, and a leading publisher of educational materials. In the United Kingdom it is an imprint of Random House.
