Batsford

About Batsford

Batsford (B. T. Batsford Ltd) is a London publisher founded in 1843 by Bradley Thomas Batsford, which describes itself as one of the oldest independent trade publishers in the UK, and is known for illustrated books on architecture, nature, history, fashion and crafts.

The firm began as an architectural and engineering bookseller and publisher; by the 1860s it was trading from 52 High Holborn. In the twentieth century the founder's nephew Harry Batsford became chairman and wrote at least eleven books himself, while Charles Fry served as chief editor and a director. Brian Cook (later Brian Batsford), who joined in 1928, designed many of the firm's dust jackets and chaired the company from 1952 to 1974. Well-known series include The Face of Britain, British Heritage and English Life, and Hector Bolitho's A Batsford Century (1943) tells the firm's own story.

In more recent decades Batsford was an imprint of Pavilion Books. When HarperCollins bought Pavilion on 1 December 2021, Batsford became independent again under its new owner Polly Powell, keeping the Pitkin guidebook imprint. In September 2023 it bought Scala Arts & Heritage Publishers. Its recent successes include Millie Marotta's colouring books, which have sold more than five million copies.