William H. Allen and Company (est. 1835) was a bookselling and publishing business in London, England,[1] at first known for issuing works related to the British colonies.[2] It operated from headquarters in Leadenhall Street, later moving to Waterloo Place. Early owners and staff included James P. Allen, William Ferneley Allen (d. 1877), and William Houghton Allen.[3]
| Founded | 1835; 189 years ago (1835) |
|---|---|
| Founder | William Houghton Allen |
| Defunct | 1991 (1991) |
| Successor | Virgin Books |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Headquarters location | London |
| Publication types | Books |
| Nonfiction topics | Nonfiction |
| Fiction genres | Science fiction |
| Imprints | Target Books |
| Owner(s) | Ebury Publishing |
After a series of acquisitions, the W. H. Allen name disappeared in 1991.
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By 1975 W. H. Allen was part of the British conglomerate Howard & Wyndham Ltd. During 1977 and 1978 the Wyndham identity was phased out, with the whole publishing line being identified with the W. H. Allen brand. The Target Books paperback line became well known for its highly successful range of novelisations and other assorted books based on the popular science fiction television series Doctor Who.
In 1977, W. H. Allen acquired Warner Communications' publishing division, including Williams Publishing and Thorpe & Porter; but by 1978–1979 W. H. Allen decided to close down both divisions.[4]
W. H. Allen was acquired by Virgin Books in a process that spanned late 1986 to late 1987.[5] Virgin Books was incorporated into W. H. Allen in 1989, but in 1991 W. H. Allen was renamed Virgin Publishing Ltd. Random House, through its United Kingdom division, acquired a 90% stake in Virgin Books in March 2007.[6] In November 2009, Virgin became an independent imprint within Ebury Publishing, a division of the Random House Group.[7]
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