Severn House
Severn House is a British publisher founded by Edwin Buckhalter in 1974, specialising in genre fiction hardbacks for libraries, owned by Canongate from 2017 and part of Joffe Books since 2026.
- Editions tracked
- 59
- First editions
- 6
- Books
- 58
- Years
- 1975 to 2015
Severn House is a publisher based in United Kingdom, founded in 1974. We track 59 editions it published between 1975 and 2015, 6 of them first editions across 58 books. Each book lists its first edition and the points that identify it.
About Severn House
Severn House is a British fiction publisher founded in London in 1974 by Edwin Buckhalter, known for hardback genre fiction aimed largely at the American library market.
Severn House publishes crime, mystery, thrillers, romance, family sagas and historical fiction, in hardback, large print and ebook, including reinforced editions for libraries. Its crime imprint Crème de la Crime, set up in 2004, has been part of Severn House since 2011. Authors on its list have included Simon Brett, Paul Doherty, Lin Anderson, Graham Masterton, Mike Ripley and Marcia Talley.
Buckhalter and his family owned the business until September 2017, when Canongate Books bought it for an undisclosed sum, with Buckhalter staying on as a consultant. Severn House's staff, led by publisher Kate Lyall Grant, moved into Canongate's west London office; Joanne Grant has led the imprint since 2021. In December 2025 Canongate agreed to sell Severn House to Joffe Books, and on 1 April 2026 Severn House announced that it was now part of Joffe Books.
We have not yet written the guide to Severn House's first-edition conventions. Until we do, check each book's own page: we list its points where we know them. Know how Severn House marked its firsts? Tell us.
Authors
Published by Severn House
Frequently asked questions
How many Severn House books does MyVolumes track?
We track 59 editions published by Severn House, 6 of them first editions, across 58 books.
Where these facts come from
- Severn House Publishers, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- Canongate Acquires Severn House, Publishers Weekly, 2017 (www2.publishersweekly.com)
- Joffe Books to Acquire Severn House from Canongate, Publishers Weekly, 2025 (publishersweekly.com)
- Severn House Joins Joffe Books, Severn House, 2026 (severnhouse.com)
Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 17 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.