Publishing house names can be an interesting thing. When they first started they were named after the founder and there are some big names in publishing. I’m talking people such as Gollancz, Shuster, Knopf and the ubiquitous many more. There’s been a shift and I’m going to talk about the publishing houses named after birds. Here are some examples: Penguin; Pelican; Puffin; and Black Swan. I won’t mention Bantam!
If you look at all those birds they’re much loved. They give the image of loveability and stability. Almost everybody loves the Penguin, they’re considered small, loveable and cute (except for Emperor Penguins which are probably half my height). Pelicans are big, with a large wingspan and an interesting beak, they make one feel grounded. Puffins are again cute with a great appeal to children and the brand has provided many much loved (there’s that ‘loved’ word again) books directed at children, you can find many top fantasy tales published by Puffin including The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Black Swans are seen as elegant creatures and in the UK they would have also been seen as fantasy as they only had white Swans and couldn’t conceive of Swans with black feathers so when reports of black swans filtered back from Australia to the UK they were disbelieved.
One publisher I’m going to include here is Ladybird Books. You’re right, they’re not birds but they have bird in their name and so many people are captivated by them. I’ve been passing people in the park watching something intently and when I look carefully I see a Ladybird. Like bees they are a valuable part of the food chain and are used by growers instead of pesticides. The brand exudes trustworthyness and cuteness. Ladybird is actually coming up to 100th birthday and as a result has released its Retro Vintage range of goodies.
And, not only but also. I was actually going somewhere with this article but last night was the first decent sleep in a while and my brain won’t let me remember where. On that note I’ll leave you to enjoy, or not, whatever weather you’re experiencing in your neck of the woods.