George Thompson Hutchinson founded Hutchinson and Company (Publishers) Ltd in London in 1887. Hutchinson focused on publishing reading material for the increasingly literate general public. The company initially published 'improving' stories, then began publishing the popular novels in cheap editions for which it became renowned. It began issuing books with paper covers in 1900. Hutchinson also entered the 'part-work' market with the publication of large, extravagantly-illustrated works in progressive parts.
Its Australian office (Melbourne) advised wouldbe authors that they did not make final decisions with regards acceptance of mss; they "read all offerings, select those we consider suitable for our companies' lists and send them Home for consideration" (Australian Writers Artists' Market 150).
Hutchinson and Company pursued a program of purchasing other companies, not only publishers but also printers and allied industries, building a very large and powerful empire which early in the twentieth century claimed to be the largest publisher in the world. While continuing to be a large-scale publisher of popluar fiction, Hutchinson also became known as a publisher of biography, autobiography, and works of reference, such as the Hutchinson Twentieth Century Encyclopedia.
Hutchinson and Company, which had been in the hands of one family for amost one hundred years, was sold in 1979 to London Weekend Television (LWT), which in 1985 sold it to Anthony Cheetham, who combined it with Century Publishing Limited to form Century Hutchinson. This in turn was sold in 1989 to Random House, which became part of the Bertelsmann group.
