Fonds RC0127 - Copp Clark Company fonds

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Copp Clark Company fonds

General material designation

    Parallel title

    Other title information

    Title statements of responsibility

    Title notes

    Level of description

    Fonds

    Reference code

    RC0127

    Edition area

    Edition statement

    Edition statement of responsibility

    Class of material specific details area

    Statement of scale (cartographic)

    Statement of projection (cartographic)

    Statement of coordinates (cartographic)

    Statement of scale (architectural)

    Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

    Dates of creation area

    Date(s)

    • 1856-1993 (Creation)

    Physical description area

    Physical description

    10.8 m of textual records and graphic material
    29 photographs.

    Publisher's series area

    Title proper of publisher's series

    Parallel titles of publisher's series

    Other title information of publisher's series

    Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series

    Numbering within publisher's series

    Note on publisher's series

    Archival description area

    Name of creator

    (1841-)

    Administrative history

    The Copp Clark Company is best known as a Canadian educational publisher, with forays into board games and greeting cards. The history of Copp Clark Company can be traced back to 1841, when Hugh Scobie, a Scotsman opened a book and stationery store on King Street East in Toronto. In 1847 he produced the first edition of the Canadian Almanac and Directory, published annually thereafter. After Scobie’s death, the firm changed hands and names several times until 1869 when two employees, William Copp and Henry Clark, gained control, eventually giving the company the name of The Copp Clark Company Limited.

    By the early 1900s, Copp Clark had evolved into a major educational publisher of textbooks, primarily in language arts and mathematics. As well as producing books and stationery items, the company established its own typesetting, printing and binding operations, branching out into games and greeting card manufacturing. In 1900 the company moved to a new office and warehouse on Front Street in Toronto, but the building was destroyed by fire in 1904. Copp Clark acted as agents for many American and British publishers and published works by such notable authors as Sir Winston Churchill, G.K. Chesterton, Joseph Conrad, Rudyard Kipling and Edith Wharton.

    In 1965 the business was bought by Pitman Publishing, and the name was changed to Copp Clark Pitman. Copp Clark Pitman was affiliated with Longman (owned by Pearson P.L.C.), which purchased the press in 1985. Copp Clark Pitman celebrated its 150th anniversary in 1991. In June 1998, Copp Clark Professional, the only remaining division of Copp Clark, closed its office on Front St. in Toronto. Copp Clark Professional is currently located in Mississauga, Ont., and is a leading publisher of financial calendars.

    Custodial history

    Scope and content

    Researchers should note that the fonds is fragmentary and incomplete, focusing primarily on the business side of the company’s activities.

    Notes area

    Physical condition

    Immediate source of acquisition

    The fonds was acquired from Copp Clark Professional in 1998.

    Arrangement

    Fonds (13-1998) is arranged into 14 series: Historical; Board of Directors; Management Committee; Financial and Personnel; Service contracts; Property; Government; Publishers, agencies and subsidiaries; Royalty; Permissions & editorial; Publications -- books and other; Other companies; Miscellaneous and Framed items. The Royalty series is arranged into the following sub-series: author contracts; textbook contracts; royalty ledger and games; stationery & novelties contracts. Other companies series is arranged into the following sub-series: Canada Games & Copp Clark games; Cooperative Book Centre of Canada Ltd.; Hunter Rose and Mirror Offset; Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons Ltd. Fonds also contains six framed items.

    Language of material

      Script of material

        Location of originals

        In June 1998, a major donation of Copp Clark imprints (post 1880) was received by the National Library. The company’s nineteenth-century publications were donated to the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library at the University of Toronto in 1989.

        Availability of other formats

        Restrictions on access

        There are no access restrictions.

        Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

        Finding aids

        Associated materials

        Related materials

        Accruals

        Further accruals are not expected.

        Alternative identifier(s)

        Standard number

        Standard number

        Access points

        Subject access points

        Place access points

        Name access points

        Genre access points

        Control area

        Description record identifier

        RC0127

        Institution identifier

        Rules or conventions

        Status

        Level of detail

        Dates of creation, revision and deletion

        Language of description

          Script of description

            Sources

            Accession area