NSW Bookstall Company was a Sydney company which operated a chain of newsagencies throughout New South Wales. It was notable as a publisher of inexpensive paperback books which were written, illustrated, published and printed in Australia, and sold to commuters at bookstalls in railway stations and elsewhere in New South Wales.
History The company was founded as the Sydney Bookstall Company by Henry Lloyd (c. 1847 – 24 September 1897) of "Linden Hall", Annandale, New South Wales around 1880 as a newsagent. Its first foray into publishing may have been racebooks (form guides or programmes) for the Hawkesbury Race Club around 1886. Over its lifetime, the NSW Bookstall company published over 350 titles with over 1000 reprints, with total sales of over five million copies.
A. C. Rowlandson (15 June 1865 – 15 June 1922) joined as a tram ticket seller in 1883 and built a strong interest in the business, which he bought from Henry Lloyd's widow. The greatest part of the company's business consisted of retailing local, interstate and overseas periodicals, postcards (Neville Cayley produced a series) and stationery from its eight city shops and fifty-odd railway stall outlets, but was important as one of Australia's most successful book publishers and retailers of locally produced paperback books.
Considerable effort was put into the artwork of the paperbacks, both on their brightly colored covers and the illustrations within. Artists who contributed included J. Muir Auld, Percy Benison, L. H. Booth, Norman Carter, H. W. Cotton, John P. Davis, Ambrose Dyson, Will Dyson, Tom Ferry, A. J. Fischer (often "Fisher"), Harry Garlick, C. H. Hunt, Ben Jordan, Harry Julius, George W. Lambert, Fred Leist, Norman Lindsay, Lionel Lindsay Percy Lindsay, Ruby Lindsay, Vernon Lorimer, David Low, Hugh Maclean, Frank P. Mahony, Claude Marquet, R. H. Moppett, Charles Nuttall, G. C. Pearce, James Postlethwaite, L. L. Roush, James F. Scott, Sydney Ure Smith, D. H. Souter, Percy Spence, Martin Stainforth, Alf Vincent and Harry J. Weston.
The University of Sydney Library has 153 of the original artworks used in the NSW Bookstall Company's publications, including cover artworks and illustrations. The State Library of New South Wales holds the company records from 1909 to 1938.
On Rowlandson's death, Reg. Wynn (c. 1866 – 17 December 1925) took over as managing director, and W. A. Crew was circulation manager. The company erected a large building at the corner of Market Street and Castlereagh Street. Reg. Wynn was succeeded by Paul Dowling.
With the onset of World War II, imports of comic books was severely restricted, which opened the market, previously swamped by the U.S. and British houses, to anyone who could provide a quality product, and the NSW Bookstall Company was ideally placed to publish and distribute such work. Tony Rafty, Will Donald, Tom Hubble, Noel Cook and Terry Powis were among the more successful artists, and the partnership of Brodie Mack and writer Peter Amos (real name Archie E. Martin) produced some excellent work for the NSW Bookstall Company.Ryan, John Panel by Panel : an illustrated history of Australian Comics Cassell Australia 1979 By 1949, the opportunity provided by wartime shortages no longer applied, and Australia was once again flooded with excess overseas production. Between 1957 and early 1958 the company's assets were sold.
Titles This list of titles of the range of NSW Bookstall titles, which is commonly referred as The Bookstall Series,The Bookstall Series (N.S.W. Bookstall) - Book Series List, publishinghistory.com. Retrieved 4 January 2020. is representative but not exhaustive. J. H. M. Abbott: Ensign Calder Sally: The Tale of a Currency Lass The Sign of the Serpent Arthur H. Adams: Double-Bed Dialogues The Knight of the Motor Launch The New Chum & four other stories Malcolm Afford: Owl of Darkness F. Agar: Eros! Eros Wins! Bob Allen: The Mare with the Silver Hoof Gerald R. Baldwin: In Racing Silk Lydia's Lovers Vera Barker: Equality Road When Satan Laughs J. A. Barry: The Luck of the Native Born South Seas Shipmates Steve Brown's Bunyip A. Bathgate: Sodger Sandy's Bairn Louis Becke: The Adventures of Louis Bleke Bully Hayes, Buccaneer Randolph Bedford: Aladdin and the Boss Cockie Billy Pagan, Mining Engineer An attractive advertisement. Silver Star George W. Bell: The Little Giants of the East Francis E. Birtles (illus. by author): Lonely Lands H. K. Bloxham: The Double Abduction On the Fringe of the Never Never Lancelot Booth: The Devil's Nightcap Tools of Satan E. J. Brady: Tom Pagdin, Pirate Hilda M. Bridges: The Squatters' Daughter The Lady of the Cavern Roy Bridges: The Barb of an Arrow By His Excellency's Command By Mountain Tracks Cards of Fortune The Fenceless Ranges Haunts of Fear On His Majesty's Service Mr. Barrington Mystery of the Cliff The Stony Heights John X. Cameron: The Spell of the Bush R. J. Cassidy: Chandler of Corralinga Charles Chauvel: Uncivilised E. F. Christie: The Calling Voice George Cockerill: The Convict Pugilist Dale Collins: Stolen or Strayed Arthur Crocker: The Dingo Pup The Great Turos Mystery South Sea Sinners Paul Cupid: The Rival Physicians George Darrell: The Belle of the Bush Aiden de Bruno: The Carson Loan Mystery Don Delaney: The Captain of the Gang For Turon Gold Gentleman Jack Illustrated advertisement A Rebel of the Bush The White Champion Will Donald: Heel Hitler Donald was cartoonist for The Australian Worker Con Drew: The Doings of Dave Jinker Rogues and Ruses Edward Dyson: Benno and Some of the Push Fact'ry 'ands The Grey Goose Comedy Co. In the Roaring Fifties Loves of Lancelot The Missing Link Spats' Factory Tommy the Hawker and Snifter his Boy A. R. Falk: Puppets of Chance Red Star J. D. Fitzgerald: Children of the Sunlight Mabel Forrest: A Bachelor's Wife The Poems of Adam Lindsay Gordon Beatrice Grimshaw: The Coral Queen White Savage Simon Queen Vaiti Kate Harriott: Invalid and Convalescent Cookery W. G. Henderson: The Bathers Bert James: The Loser Pays The Mystery of the Boxing Contest A. E. Jobson: The Adventures of Russell Howard Cecil Ross Johnston: The Trader Robert Kaleski: Australian Barkers and Biters A. R. Kent: A Chinese Vengeance Norman Lindsay: A Curate in Bohemia Norman Lindsay's Book Sumner Locke: Brownie Unlimited The Dawsons' Uncle George Mum Dawson — Boss Skeeter Farm David Low: The Billy Book H. R. McDuffie: Rooks and Crooks Claude McKay and Harry Julius Theatrical Caricatures John D. Fitzgerald: Greater Sydney and Greater Newcastle Jack McLaren: Feathers of Heaven Fringe of the Law The Oil Seekers Fagaloa's Daughter Red Mountain The Savagery of Margaret Nestor The Skipper of The Roaring Meg Spear-Eye Sunlight, Adventure and Love Talifa A. Ian Macleod: Hack's Brat A. E. Martin: The Romance of Nomenclature, (1943) containing 1,250 Place Names in South Australia, West Australia and the Northern Territory Clarence W. Martin: Ubique Harold Mercer: Amazon Island Edward Meryon: At Hollands' Tank One False Step Yellow Silver William Monckton: Three Years with Thunderbolt Jack North: The Black Opal Harry Dale's Grand National A Son of the Bush Ernest O'Ferrall: Bolger and the Boarders Ernest Osborne: The Copra Trader Creatures of Impulse The Plantation Manager Harrison Owen: The Mount Marunga Mystery Vance Palmer: The Boss of Killara The Shantykeeper's Daughter Sydney Partrige: Rocky Section Sydney Partrige and Cecil Raworth: The Mystery of Wall's Hill S. W. Powell: The Closed Lagoon A Golden Chance The Great Jude Seal Hermit Island The Maker of Pearls A Mantle of Authority The Pearls of Cheong Tah The Trader of Kameko X-Mixture Ambrose Pratt: Dan Kelly – Outlaw The Golden Kangaroo The Outlaws of Weddin Range Three Years with Thunderbolt Wolaroi's Cup Clement Pratt: Caloola "Rata" (Thomas Richard Roydhouse): The Coloured Conquest Broda Reynolds: Dawn Asper The Heart of the Bush The Selector Girl Charles Rodda: Cerise and Gold The Fortunes of Geoffrey Mayne Ivan Archer Rosenblum: Marjorie of Blue Lake Stella Sothern Steele Rudd: Back at Our Selection The Book of Dan Dad in Politics The Dashwoods Duncan McClure For Life Grandpa's Selection Kayton's Selection Memoirs of Corporal Keeley On an Australian Farm On Our Selection Our New Selection The Old Homestead The Poor Parson Sandy's Selection From Selection to City Stocking Our Selection W. Sabelburg: The Key of the Mystery John Sandes: Love and the Aeroplane Charles E. Sayers: The Jumping Double H. M. Somer: Base Brands Edward S. Sorenson: Murty Brown Mystery of Murrawang The Rheas of Werriwang The Squatter's Ward Thomas E. Spencer: Bindawalla Budgeree Ballads The Haunted Shanty How McDougall Topped the Score, and other Verses and Sketches; The Spring Cleaning The Surprising Adventures of Bridget McSweeney That Droll Lady Why Doherty Died A. G. Stephens (ed.) Aboriginalities (from The Bulletin) Bill's Idées The Bulletin Book of Humorous Verses and Recitations The Bulletin Reciter Gum Blossoms: A Volume of Australian Verse Crystal Stirling: Soldiers Two Ralph Stock: The Pyjama Man The Recipe for Rubber R. S. Tait: Scotty Mac, Shearer Taylor: Campaign Cartoons One of NSW Bookstall's earliest publications Harry Tighe: The Man of Sympathy Robert Waldron: The Flying Doctor Pearl Shell J. M. Walsh: Goldie Law Tap Tap Island Charles D. Websdale (J. Muir Auld ill.): Seafarers Charles White: Ben Hall Captain Moonlite Gardiner, King of the Road John Vane, Bushranger The Kelly Gang Martin Cash Short-lived Bushrangers Arthur Wright: The Boss o' Yedden The Boy from Bullarah The Breed Holds Good A Close Call A Colt from the Country Fettered by Fate Gambler's Gold A Game of Chance A Good Recovery The Hate of a Hun In the Last Stride Keane of Kalgoorlie A Rogue's Luck A Rough Passage The Outlaw's Daughter Over the Odds Rung In A Sport from Hollowlog Flat The Squatter's Secret Under a Cloud When Nuggets Glistened Claude P. Wynn: Princess Naldi's Fetish (none named): Australian Bungalow and Cottage Home Designs (none named): Canberra Cookery Book (none named): Guide to the City of Sydney and the Pleasure Resorts of New South Wales (none named): The Harbour Guide (none named): Panoramic Sydney (none named): Sydney from the Air
Notes
References
Further reading Carol Mills, The New South Wales Bookstall Company as a Publisher, Canberra: Mulini Press, 1991. Carol Mills, An Australian "Dime Novel" Publisher, Clayton, Victoria: Bibliographical Society of Australia and New Zealand, 1992. Carol Mills, "The Bookstall novel: an Australian paperback revolution 1904–1946", in: Australian Cultural History, no. 11, 1992, pp. 87–99. In special issue: Books, Readers, Reading based on a conference at the University of New South Wales, June 1991. Martyn Lyons and John Arnold, eds., A History of the Book in Australia, 1891–1945, Brisbane: Queensland University Press, 2001.
External links The New South Wales Bookstall Company, Sensational Tales: Australian Popular Publishing 1850s–1990s (exhibition), University of Melbourne NSW Bookstall Company artworks digitised artworks out of copyright from the collection of the University of Sydney Library