About us
Who we are
The History Press is an independent non-fiction publisher based in the heart of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire – home also to one of the most prestigious literary festivals in the country. Our bestsellers include Victoria and Abdul, Blood and Iron: The Rise and Fall of the German Empire, The Princes in the Tower, prettycitylondon and Paddy Mayne.
Along with a rich heritage in history publishing, we seek to inform, entertain and champion untold stories and hidden voices across a variety of genres, such as memoir, entertainment, travel, true crime and many more.
Our passionate, friendly team brings a wealth of professionalism to all we do, and we’re dedicated to working with writers to bring quality non-fiction to life.
In 2020 we launched the Flint Books imprint – vibrant non-fiction ‘books that spark’, to prompt conversation, spur debate and inspire action.
Our heritage
The History Press can trace its origins to 1886 when WPW Phillimore published How to Write the History of a Family. Phillimore then set himself the task of documenting parish registers of births deaths and marriages and set up Phillimore & Co. Ltd in 1912. The Phillimore Atlas remains a bible for those who study genealogy today.
A passion for family history, and a related interest in place, spawned a number of publishing businesses throughout the twentieth century and these evolved over time to encompass much broader history lists. We are proud to include the extensive publishing legacy of the highly regarded Phillimore, Sutton, Tempus and Spellmount imprints among our portfolio.
The History Press itself was formed in 2007 to incorporate our various imprints – encompassing over 8000 backlist titles – under one banner.
Our values
Quality – we take pride in achieving the highest standards from acquisition through to publication.
Honesty – our company ethos is to uphold transparency and fairness.
Inclusive – we consider under-represented groups and voices in both our recruitment and in our commissioning.
Socially conscious – we strive to maintain sound credentials in eco-awareness, sustainability, charitable giving, and support for local business.
Our commitment to sustainability
We are signatories to Publishing Declares Climate Action and the CheltenhamZero campaign.
In 2022 we joined IPG’s sustainability action group and are working through their Zero Carbon Toolkit.
Since January 2020 we have planted a tree for every new title we publish through the Trees for Life charity. We now have a grove in the Scottish Highlands with over 500 trees and counting…
Charitable giving
We support a range of organisations through monthly staff nominations. Charities we have donated to include UNICEF Children in Gaza, The Music Works (transforming young lives through music), the RNLI and FareShare, championed by international footballer Marcus Rashford.