Souvenir Press
Souvenir Press is a London publisher founded by Ernest Hecht in 1951 and run by him independently until his death in 2018, after which Profile Books took it over.
- Editions tracked
- 72
- First editions
- 22
- Books
- 72
- Years
- 1958 to 2007
Souvenir Press is a publisher active from 1958. We track 72 editions it published between 1958 and 2007, 22 of them first editions across 72 books. Each book lists its first edition and the points that identify it.
About Souvenir Press
Souvenir Press is a London publisher founded in 1951 by Ernest Hecht, who ran it as an independent for 67 years; since 2018 it has been an imprint of Profile Books.
Hecht, who had come to Britain from Czechoslovakia on the Kindertransport in 1939, started the firm in his parents' home with a £250 loan. Its first book was a cricket paperback, Len Hutton: The World's Greatest Batsman. The company was based in Bloomsbury and published a deliberately mixed list: European literature, including five Nobel laureates such as Knut Hamsun and Pablo Neruda, Brazilian writers such as Jorge Amado and Carolina Maria de Jesus, popular bestsellers, humour, and books by P. G. Wodehouse, Thor Heyerdahl, Fred Astaire and Che Guevara. Its series included Condor Books and Human Horizons.
Hecht, appointed OBE in 2015, was still running the press when he died in London on 13 February 2018, aged 88. Following instructions he left to his executors, Profile Books took over all of Souvenir's publishing in November 2018, keeping the name and a backlist of around 500 titles strong in psychology, personal development and health.
We have not yet written the guide to Souvenir Press's first-edition conventions. Until we do, check each book's own page: we list its points where we know them. Know how Souvenir Press marked its firsts? Tell us.
Authors
Published by Souvenir Press
Frequently asked questions
How many Souvenir Press books does MyVolumes track?
We track 72 editions published by Souvenir Press, 22 of them first editions, across 72 books.
Where these facts come from
- Ernest Hecht, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- Souvenir Press moves to Profile Books, Profile Books, 2018 (profilebooks.com)
- 'Wise and witty' Ernest Hecht dies, aged 88, The Bookseller, 2018 (thebookseller.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.