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HarperCollins Publishers has unveiled a global campaign celebrating two centuries of publishing.
In commemoration of its 200th anniversary, the year-long celebration will be documented on a website that showcases HarperCollins’s "storied history" and "influence on readers of all ages around the world".
HarperCollins is the publisher of Agatha Christie, John F. Kennedy, Harper Lee, C. S. Lewis, Shel Silverstein, J. R. R. Tolkien, Mark Twain, among others, and readers can interact with its "long and rich history" via exclusive content available on the website. Visitors can view images of artifacts from the company’s archives to a collection of "iconic" HarperCollins books, to short stories that illustrate significant moments in the company’s history.
Brian Murray, c.e.o. of HarperCollins Publishers, said: “We’re excited to celebrate this milestone anniversary and give thanks to the employees, authors, librarians, booksellers, and consumers who’ve been instrumental in helping HarperCollins become a part of the global literary culture over the last 200 years. Our goal today is unchanged from what our founders set out to achieve two centuries ago—to help authors and their works reach their fullest potential and widest readership. We hope to continue to entertain, educate, and inspire generations of readers for centuries to come.”
Content will also be shared on the company’s global social media accounts, with readers invited to join the conversation online using #hc200.
Robert Thomson, chief executive of News Corp, of which HarperCollins is a subsidiary, said: “We are proud of the provenance of HarperCollins and the works of our great writers and editors that have echoed through the centuries and will resonate for centuries to come. For HarperCollins, the past is a prelude to a profoundly successful future.”
The anniversary website includes five key sections such as 'The HarperCollins 200', a global collection of 200 "iconic" HarperCollins titles—beloved books that have "inspired, informed, entertained, and endured" - curated with the help of booksellers and librarians from around the world. Titles from the collection, published by HarperCollins divisions around the world, include Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis, Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, and A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin.
The website will also include a 'Timeline' section, allowing visitors to journey through key moments in HarperCollins history from its "humble beginning" as a small printing business in New York City to its current role as a global publishing "powerhouse" operating in 18 countries. Meanwhile a 'Stories' section which will showcase short snippets which delve deeper into significant moments in HarperCollins history, lending further detail to noteworthy moments, innovations, and authors in the company’s evolution.
'Inside the Archives' will present visitors with a collection of high-resolution images of artifacts from the HarperCollins archives including original story notes from authors; correspondence between HarperCollins executives and authors; vintage photographs; original manuscripts; and first editions.
Finally, the 'Why I Read' section will be made up of the thoughts of dozens of HarperCollins' authors sharing their thoughts on why they write, why they read, and what books have influenced them. Authors include Robyn Carr, Michael Chabon, Bernard Cornwell, Emma Donoghue, Neil Gaiman, Bob Goff, Donna Hay, Hilary Mantel, and Veronica Roth. Visitors to the website will also be encouraged to join the conversation and share their own experiences and passion for reading via social media using the hashtag #hc200.
The website will be a springboard for activities created by local teams across the globe and designed to bring the 200th anniversary to life in each market.