| Founded | 1944 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Seán Feehan |
| Country of origin | Ireland |
| Headquarters location | Cork |
| Distribution | Gill (Ireland)[1] Dufour Editions (USA)[2] |
| Nonfiction topics | Irish History, Biography, Sport, Politics, Business and Current Affairs |
| Fiction genres | Literature, Kids |
| Official website | www |
Mercier Press is a publisher based in Cork, Ireland. It is the longest established independent Irish publishing house.[3]
History
The company was founded in 1944 by Seán Feehan, and initially published religious books. In 1946 they published This Tremendous Lover by Dom Eugene Boylan which sold over a million copies. At the Frankfurt Book Fair Feehan secured the translation rights of German books on philosophy and religion that sold well. In the 1960s they launched a successful range of paperbacks on Irish literature, culture, religion and history.[4]
Feehan remained chairman until his death in 1991, after which John Spillane took over until 2003, when Clodagh Feehan was appointed manager director.[4]
In the 1960s and 1970s the Mercier paperback books had a distinctive cover style.[5] This usually consisted of an illustration, in both pen & ink and brush & ink, and always in two colour. The format and back cover layout remained the same on each book. The artist John Skelton (1925-2009) was Mercier’s main cover designer – he worked as an art director and book illustrator before concentrating full-time on painting in 1975.
References
- ^ "Our Clients". Gill Distribution. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
- ^ "Publishers – Dufour Editions". Retrieved 2017-10-20.
- ^ "Mercier Press web-site". Mercier Press. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
- ^ a b "Irish publisher whose printed pages keep turning in pace with history". Under the Radar. Dublin. The Irish Times. 26 February 2010.
- ^ John M. Feehan. An Irish Publisher and His World. Mercier Press, Cork, 1969