Horace Everett Hooper
Encyclopedia
Horace Everett Hooper was the publisher of Encyclopædia Britannica
from 1897 until his death.
, he left school at the age of 16, and after gaining experience in various book shops, founded the Western Book and Stationary Company at Denver Colorado. He sold books to the western states making use of the United States Postal Service
.
, Illinois in 1893 to join the firm of James Clark, publishers of cheap editions. He marketed their reprint of the Century Dictionary using mail order
and credit by instalment terms, to great success. He visited England
in 1897 and saw that the 9th edition of Encyclopædia Britannica
might be marketed in the same way. He also noted that The Times
suffered flagging sales, and hit on the idea of using the latter to market the former — to their mutual benefit.
He secured the reprint rights to Encyclopædia Britannica and The Times reissued it. Within three months 10,000 sets were sold and within five years the total had reached 50,000. Hooper bought the copyright
, and set about the production of eleven additional volumes to make the 10th edition, which was published by The Times in 1902-3.
The Times appointed Hooper as advertising manager, and in 1905 he set up the Times Book Club, managed by Janet Hogarth
. After the purchase of The Times by Lord Northcliffe
, Hooper left the company in 1908. He set about the production of the 11th edition which was published 1910-11. This was published in two blocks of volumes instead of the volumes appearing serially over a number of years.
Hooper established the Britannica Year-Book, the first volume being published in 1913. He produced the Handy Volume edition (1915–1916) specifically for mail-order. This was a photographic reprint of the 11th edition, and was often sold with an accompanying book case.
with a reprint of the eleventh edition. It too was issued in the Handy Volume format.
Encyclopædia Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
from 1897 until his death.
Early life
Born at Worcester, MassachusettsWorcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, he left school at the age of 16, and after gaining experience in various book shops, founded the Western Book and Stationary Company at Denver Colorado. He sold books to the western states making use of the United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
.
Rights to and purchase of Encyclopædia Britannica
He moved to ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois in 1893 to join the firm of James Clark, publishers of cheap editions. He marketed their reprint of the Century Dictionary using mail order
Mail order
Mail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote method such as through a telephone call or web site. Then, the products are delivered to the customer...
and credit by instalment terms, to great success. He visited England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1897 and saw that the 9th edition of Encyclopædia Britannica
Encyclopædia Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
might be marketed in the same way. He also noted that The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
suffered flagging sales, and hit on the idea of using the latter to market the former — to their mutual benefit.
He secured the reprint rights to Encyclopædia Britannica and The Times reissued it. Within three months 10,000 sets were sold and within five years the total had reached 50,000. Hooper bought the copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
, and set about the production of eleven additional volumes to make the 10th edition, which was published by The Times in 1902-3.
The Times appointed Hooper as advertising manager, and in 1905 he set up the Times Book Club, managed by Janet Hogarth
Janet E. Courtney
Janet Elizabeth Courtney was a scholar, writer and feminist.-Early life:...
. After the purchase of The Times by Lord Northcliffe
Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe
Alfred Charles William Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe rose from childhood poverty to become a powerful British newspaper and publishing magnate, famed for buying stolid, unprofitable newspapers and transforming them to make them lively and entertaining for the mass market.His company...
, Hooper left the company in 1908. He set about the production of the 11th edition which was published 1910-11. This was published in two blocks of volumes instead of the volumes appearing serially over a number of years.
Hooper established the Britannica Year-Book, the first volume being published in 1913. He produced the Handy Volume edition (1915–1916) specifically for mail-order. This was a photographic reprint of the 11th edition, and was often sold with an accompanying book case.
Sale of Encyclopædia Britannica
Hooper sold the copyright to Sears Roebuck in 1920 but oversaw the publication in 1922 of the 12th edition - three volumes covering the events of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
with a reprint of the eleventh edition. It too was issued in the Handy Volume format.