Smith, W. H., and Son, Ltd

The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature | 2003 | 700+ words | Copyright

Smith, W. H., and Son, Ltd, a firm of stationers, newsagents, and booksellers, which originated in a small newsvendor's shop opened in London in Little Grosvenor Street in 1792 by Henry Walton Smith and his wife Anna. His son, William Henry Smith (1792–1865), gave the firm its name of W. H. Smith in 1828; his son, also William Henry (1825–91), became a partner in 1846 and the words ‘and Son’ were added. The business profited from the railway boom by opening station bookstalls throughout the country and establishing a circulating library which lasted until 1961. The W. H. Smith Literary Award has been given annually since 1959, for a work of any genre that constitutes ‘the most outstanding contribution to English literature’ in the year under review. Past winners include P. White, L. Lee, Gombrich, and Heaney.

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MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Smith, W. H., and Son, Ltd." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Smith, W. H., and Son, Ltd." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-SmithWHandSonLtd.html

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Smith, W. H., and Son, Ltd." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-SmithWHandSonLtd.html

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