Smith, W H, & Son Ltd
Other Business Names:
- Smith, Henry Walton
- Smith, William Henry
- Smith, Anna
Locations city-town / local authority / county1974 / region-state / country:
- London, Greater London, Greater London, Greater London, England
- Swindon, Swindon, Wiltshire, South West, England
Sectors:
-
Distribution - wholesaling, broking, market trading, etc
Book & other publications distribution
-
Distribution - retailing
Book & other publications retailing
-
Business services
Library & related services
-
Publishing & printing
Other publishing
-
Distribution - retailing
Stationery retailing
Notes:
Traces origins to 1792 when established by Henry Walton, 1738-92, and on his death for many years managed by his widow, Anna. Provided a news vendor service, later newspaper and bookstalls. Had reading room facility by 1821. 1846 known as W H Smith & Son. Business greatly stimulated by railways which facilitated establishment from 1840s of a nationwide newspaper distribution system and the widespread establishment of newspaper / bookstalls on railway stations. Other activities included advertising services, especially for railway companies, and circulating libraries (1860-1961) in the firm's shops. Developed into a major retailing and wholesaling business by William Henry Smith, 1792-1865, and especially by William H Smith, 1825-91. Incorporated as W H Smith & Son Ltd in 1928 and converted to a public company in 1948. Relocated from London to Swindon in c1960s. Continues in 2023 as a leading UK retailer [2023]
Publications:
- 'A larger outlay than any return'. The library of W H Smith & Son, 1860-1973 by Colclough, Stephen
- An insight into the management of railway bookstalls in the eighteen fifties by James, Elizabeth
- 'Bookselling by the backdoor. Circulating libraries, booksellers and book clubs, 1870-1966' in R Myers & M Harris (eds), Genius for Letters. Booksellers and bookselling from the 16th to the 20th century by Eliot, Simon
- C H St J Hornby. An anthology of appreciation by Unknown
- C H St J Hornby, Jubilee celebration, 1 January 1943 by Unknown
- Century of Bookstall Service by Clear, Gwen
- Failings and achievements. Some British businesses, 1910-80 by Coleman, Donald C
- First with the News by Keir, David
- First with the News. The history of W H Smith, 1792-1972 by Wilson, Charles H
- 'From counter to cabinet. Messrs W H Smith & Son' in Fortunes Made in Business. Life struggles of successful people by Unknown
- History of Booksellers. The old and the new by Curwen, Henry
- Life and Times of the Rt Hon William Henry Smith, MP by Maxwell, Herbert E
- Making the news national. Using digitized newspapers to study the distribution of the Queen’s Speech by W H Smith & Son, 1846-1858 by Smits, Thomas
- Managing business performance. The contrasting cases of two multiple retailers, 1920 to 1939 by Hull, Andrew
- Multinational companies and the cultural industries. W H Smith in Canada, 1950-1989 by Buckley, Thomas R
- New Technology, New Markets. W H Smith through two centuries by Unknown
- ''No such bookselling has ever before taken place in this country'. Propaganda and the wartime distribution practices of W H Smith & Son' in M Hammond & S Towheed, Publishing in the First World War. Essays in book history by Potter, Jane
- Purifying the sources of amusement and information? The railway bookstalls of W H Smith & Son, 1855-1860 by Colclough, Stephen
- Revolutions from Grub Street. A history of magazine publishing in Britain by Cox, Howard, & Simon Mowatt
- Story of W H Smith by Pocklington, Geoffrey R
- Story of W H Smith & Son by Clear, Gwen
- Story of W H Smith & Son by Foat, F E K
- Success by Design. An exhibition at the Royal College of Art by Baines, Wendy
- Swindon Project. A report on the relocation of W H Smith & Son Ltd's Lambeth warehouse by Loasby, B J
- The archives of W H Smith & Son Ltd by Baker-Jones, T W
- The day's work. Messrs W H Smith & Son, the great distributors of literature by Unknown
- Time Traveller, 1848-1998 by Williams, Roger (ed)
- Viscount Hambledon, 25 July 1903 - 31 March 1948. An anthology of appreciations by Unknown
- W H Smith by Chilston, Eric A A D
- W H Smith & Son by Acworth, William M
- 'W H Smith & Son; W H Smith' in P J Anderson & J Rose (eds), Dictionary of Literary Biography, Vol 106. British literary publishing houses, 1820-1880 by McCormick, Anita Hemphill
- W H Smith bicentenary special report by Unknown
- 'WHS' in W B Beable, Romance of Great Businesses, Volume 1 by Beable, William H
Groups:
Other Business Names:
- Smith, Henry Walton
- Smith, William Henry
- Smith, Anna
Locations city-town / local authority / county1974 / region-state / country:
- London, Greater London, Greater London, Greater London, England
- Swindon, Swindon, Wiltshire, South West, England
Sectors:
- Distribution - wholesaling, broking, market trading, etc Book & other publications distribution
- Distribution - retailing Book & other publications retailing
- Business services Library & related services
- Publishing & printing Other publishing
- Distribution - retailing Stationery retailing
Notes:
Traces origins to 1792 when established by Henry Walton, 1738-92, and on his death for many years managed by his widow, Anna. Provided a news vendor service, later newspaper and bookstalls. Had reading room facility by 1821. 1846 known as W H Smith & Son. Business greatly stimulated by railways which facilitated establishment from 1840s of a nationwide newspaper distribution system and the widespread establishment of newspaper / bookstalls on railway stations. Other activities included advertising services, especially for railway companies, and circulating libraries (1860-1961) in the firm's shops. Developed into a major retailing and wholesaling business by William Henry Smith, 1792-1865, and especially by William H Smith, 1825-91. Incorporated as W H Smith & Son Ltd in 1928 and converted to a public company in 1948. Relocated from London to Swindon in c1960s. Continues in 2023 as a leading UK retailer [2023]Publications:
- 'A larger outlay than any return'. The library of W H Smith & Son, 1860-1973 by Colclough, Stephen
- An insight into the management of railway bookstalls in the eighteen fifties by James, Elizabeth
- 'Bookselling by the backdoor. Circulating libraries, booksellers and book clubs, 1870-1966' in R Myers & M Harris (eds), Genius for Letters. Booksellers and bookselling from the 16th to the 20th century by Eliot, Simon
- C H St J Hornby. An anthology of appreciation by Unknown
- C H St J Hornby, Jubilee celebration, 1 January 1943 by Unknown
- Century of Bookstall Service by Clear, Gwen
- Failings and achievements. Some British businesses, 1910-80 by Coleman, Donald C
- First with the News by Keir, David
- First with the News. The history of W H Smith, 1792-1972 by Wilson, Charles H
- 'From counter to cabinet. Messrs W H Smith & Son' in Fortunes Made in Business. Life struggles of successful people by Unknown
- History of Booksellers. The old and the new by Curwen, Henry
- Life and Times of the Rt Hon William Henry Smith, MP by Maxwell, Herbert E
- Making the news national. Using digitized newspapers to study the distribution of the Queen’s Speech by W H Smith & Son, 1846-1858 by Smits, Thomas
- Managing business performance. The contrasting cases of two multiple retailers, 1920 to 1939 by Hull, Andrew
- Multinational companies and the cultural industries. W H Smith in Canada, 1950-1989 by Buckley, Thomas R
- New Technology, New Markets. W H Smith through two centuries by Unknown
- ''No such bookselling has ever before taken place in this country'. Propaganda and the wartime distribution practices of W H Smith & Son' in M Hammond & S Towheed, Publishing in the First World War. Essays in book history by Potter, Jane
- Purifying the sources of amusement and information? The railway bookstalls of W H Smith & Son, 1855-1860 by Colclough, Stephen
- Revolutions from Grub Street. A history of magazine publishing in Britain by Cox, Howard, & Simon Mowatt
- Story of W H Smith by Pocklington, Geoffrey R
- Story of W H Smith & Son by Clear, Gwen
- Story of W H Smith & Son by Foat, F E K
- Success by Design. An exhibition at the Royal College of Art by Baines, Wendy
- Swindon Project. A report on the relocation of W H Smith & Son Ltd's Lambeth warehouse by Loasby, B J
- The archives of W H Smith & Son Ltd by Baker-Jones, T W
- The day's work. Messrs W H Smith & Son, the great distributors of literature by Unknown
- Time Traveller, 1848-1998 by Williams, Roger (ed)
- Viscount Hambledon, 25 July 1903 - 31 March 1948. An anthology of appreciations by Unknown
- W H Smith by Chilston, Eric A A D
- W H Smith & Son by Acworth, William M
- 'W H Smith & Son; W H Smith' in P J Anderson & J Rose (eds), Dictionary of Literary Biography, Vol 106. British literary publishing houses, 1820-1880 by McCormick, Anita Hemphill
- W H Smith bicentenary special report by Unknown
- 'WHS' in W B Beable, Romance of Great Businesses, Volume 1 by Beable, William H