Shakespeare Head Press Pty. Ltd.
Shakespeare Head Press Pty. Ltd. is the publisher name printed on these comics. Other series associated with this publisher might have a variation or an unexpected publisher name printed in the comic.
Details
- Country
- Australia
- Locations
30 Pitt Street, Sydney (1933)
Box 4088, G.P.O. Sydney (1946)
247 Collins Street, Melbourne (1955)
149 Castlereagh Street, Sydney (1954-1955)
198 Elizabeth Street, Sydney (1955-1956)
- Operated
- 1932 – 1992?
- Comics
- 1953? – 1959?
- GCD
- www.comics.org/publisher/8152
- Group
- Consolidated Press
Notes
Shakespeare Head Press was established in 1932 by Directors W. Francis Jackson and Dr Ernest Harden. Jackson and Harden were teachers and the company aimed to supply schools with cheap Australian-produced text books (including editions of Shakespeare, science, poetry and foreign languages). In 1934 it began publishing original Australian fiction.
Shakespeare Head Press reportedly went into receivership in 1935, with indications it was acquired by printers and stationers W. E. Smith Ltd. Throughout the 1930s, Shakespeare Head's long-standing editor, Hungarian-born Ernest Harden, was an advocate for Australian education and Australian fiction. Writing and lecturing on the French language, he was awarded the Officier d'Acadamie in 1937 by the French Minister for Education for services to French literature.
In 1946, Consolidated Press (Sir Frank Packer) acquired a controlling interest in Shakespeare Head Press. The company announced a major publishing program of Australian works, inlcluding opportunities for artists on lavish dust jackets. However, it was quickly dominated by more profitable editions of foreign works, including Pocket Classics by Stevenson, Dikens and Twain. During the 1950s, the Shakespeare Head was most known for its children's books with Golden Press Pty. Ltd., also part-owned by consolidated Press. The imprint was later mainly for school texts and Australian literature, and has been largely disused since about 1988.
During its period publishing comics, Shakespeare Head Press was an imprint of Consolidated Press. Some comics list its address as 149 Castlereagh Street, which was also used by Magazine Management companies (Rosnock, Jublilee, Red Circle), Frew (Tricho) and WG Publications (Australian Disney comics).
Associated publisher names include:
Books and series
Showing items 1 to 10 of 15
| Title | Published | % with index | % with cover | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
A. B. See (Shakespeare Head, 1948 series)
Comic series |
#1 (1948) to #2 (1948) | 0.0 % (0 of 2) | 100.0 % (2 of 2) |
|
|
The Anzac Story for Boys and Girls (Shakespeare Head, 1957)
Book one-shot |
(1957) | 0.0 % (0 of 1) | 100.0 % (1 of 1) |
|
|
Front Page Mystery (Shakespeare Head, 195-? series)
Pulp novel series |
#1 (195-?) to #26 (1952?) | 0.0 % (0 of 3) | 66.7 % (2 of 3) |
|
|
Frontier Western (Shakespeare Head, 1945? series)
Pulp novel series |
#1 (1945?) to #64? (1955?) | 3.1 % (2 of 64) | 9.4 % (6 of 64) |
|
|
Ginger Meggs Annual (Shakespeare Head, 1952 series)
Comic series |
#1952 (1952) to #1957 (1959) | 16.7 % (1 of 6) | 100.0 % (6 of 6) |
|
|
The Lone Ranger (Shakespeare Head, 1954 series)
Comic series |
#1 (1954) to #67 (1959) | 6.0 % (4 of 67) | 94.0 % (63 of 67) |
|
|
Mandrake Annual (Shakespeare Head, 1954 series)
Comic series |
#1954 (1954) to #1958 (1958) | 0.0 % (0 of 5) | 100.0 % (5 of 5) |
|
|
Mandrake Comic (Shakespeare Head, 1955 series)
Comic series |
#13 (1955) to #29 (1959) | 5.9 % (1 of 17) | 88.2 % (15 of 17) |
|
|
Redskin Comic (Shakespeare Head, 1953 series)
Comic series |
#1 (1953) to #12 (1954) | 8.3 % (1 of 12) | 91.7 % (11 of 12) |
|
|
Redskin Comic (Shakespeare Head, 1956 series)
Comic series |
#1 (1956) to #6 (1956) | 16.7 % (1 of 6) | 83.3 % (5 of 6) |