Cassells closes New Zealand branch

Press, 4 August 1981, Page 20

Cassells closes New Zealand branch

The New Zealand branch of a well-known English publishing firm, Cassell, Ltd, closed its doors last Fridayanother casualty of the struggling British economy. After more than 130 years as a highly respected English publishing company, Cassells in London announced at the end of last year that it was ceasing all trade publishing and would concentrate on the English school market. The writing was on the wall for its branch offices, and a few months later it was decided it would be impossible for the smaller branches to continue; accordingly both the South African and New Zealand offices would also wind up business. Cassells have been represented in New Zealand since 1920—first by an overseas representative, then in 1953 registered as a branch office

in Wellington, which was 1 subsequently relocated in 1 Auckland. The next major 1 change yvas a merger with 1 the huge publishing conglom- 1 erate, Collier Macmillan Inc., 1 in 1970. During the last few years 1 Cassell New Zealand had been active in New Zealand 1 publishing—their most not- I able . titles being "Historic i Buildings of New Zealand” in i conjunction with the Historic t' Places Trust; Felix Donnelly’s two books “Big Boys 1 Don’t Cry" and “Candles in ■ the Wind;” and “Passionless People" by Gordon McLauchlan. Other Cassel New Zealand books published recently were “Living With 50 Architects,” “N.Z. 2001,” “Children with Cancer,” and “Blue Water Yacht Navigation.” Two Cassell titles, “The Unauthorised Version” by

lan Grant and “New. Zealand. Endangered Spdcies” by Ronald Lockley were chosen’ by the Booksellers Association in 1980 as Book of the Month titles. Cassells are also wellknown for their dictionaries. Miss Margaret Gibson, manager of the Auckland branch since 1970, says that the decision was taken reluctantly but that without the ■ London titles (Cassells also represented Studio Vista, Geoffrey Chapman, and Johnston and Bacon, who have also announced closures and restructuring) the remaining agencies would not warrant an office in New Zealand. These agencies have been taken over by Associated Book Publishers, who will in future represent Collier Macmillan of USA, Berlitz of Switzerland, and Bailliere Tindall of London.