The Sheltering Sky
Bowles’s landmark literary novel, a classic work of psychological terror. More
A Christmas Carol
Dickens’s beloved classic of the meaning of Christmas that has inspired countless adaptations. More
Internal memo from Collins Canada announcing a hot air balloon publicity stunt
To launch the new Canadian trade paperback imprint Totem, in September 1975, Collins Canada’s head of publicity Lucinda Vardey organized the release of hot air balloons over Toronto and neighboring suburbs. More
The Boy in the Dress
The sharp and funny first novel for children from bestselling publishing phenomenon David Walliams. More
Original contract for Thorn-Apple Tree
Grace Campbell’s debut novel, Thorn-Apple Tree, was one of the earliest works of fiction written by a Canadian to be published by William Collins Sons & Co. Canada Ltd. More
The Making of the President 1960
This groundbreaking national bestseller and Pulitzer Prize winner revolutionized the way presidential campaigns are reported. More
Jesus Calling
The number one selling devotional, Jesus Calling is one of Thomas Nelson’s bestselling books of all time. More
A Canticle for Leibowitz
Hugo Award winner; widely considered one of the most enduring classics of modern speculative fiction. More
Veronica Roth
I read because reading changes you. More
Essays of E. B. White
Classic collection by one of the greatest essayists of our time, Pulitzer Prize–winning author E. B. White. More
Our Town
Pulitzer Prize–winning drama; hailed by Edward Albee as “The finest play ever written by an American.” More
The Thorn Birds
McCullough’s sweeping family saga of forbidden love in the Australian outback; became a bestselling phenomenon. More
Rosemary Sullivan
I write out of compulsion. “The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner,” as Alan Sillitoe remarked—the exhilaration and discipline of the run; the finish line unknown until you get there. More
Frances Itani
I write because I am happiest when I am in what Tillie Olsen once described to me as “that bless’ed state.” More
I’m OK—You’re OK
A defining work of self-help with more than 15 million copies in print. More
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia #1)
First book written in the world-celebrated Narnia series; captivating readers for more than sixty years. More
J.R.R. Tolkien and the Trilogy
Sir Stanley Unwin, chairman of British publishers George Allen & Unwin (later acquired by HarperCollins), originally rejected the 9,250-page manuscript of The Lord of the Rings, the sequel to J. R. R. Tolkien’s moderately successful (at the time) The Hobbit, as it was too long, and the author would make a deal with the publisher only if they also agreed to take another of his unfinished books. More
1932: The Canadian branch of William Collins and Sons is founded in Toronto…
The Canadian branch of William Collins and Sons is founded in Toronto by Franklin F. Appleton. More
Just Kids
Legendary artist Patti Smith’s critically acclaimed memoir; winner of the National Book Award. More
Original proposal for Lawrence Hill’s The Book of Negroes
Lawrence Hill’s agent, Janet Turnbull Irving, submitted this one-page summary for his as yet unwritten novel Migration to HarperCollins Canada Editor-in-Chief Iris Tupholme in 1998. More
Katherine Paterson
I read because I want more than one life, and books give me a limitless number of lives—lives that are different from the one I was born into. More
Harold and the Purple Crayon
Classic children’s story about imagination that has never been out of print. More
Pilgrim
A finalist for the Giller Prize and a Canadian bestseller that surpassed the author’s own impressive sales records. More
Julie of the Wolves
Newbery Medal–winning classic about a girl living among wolves. More
1989: News Corporation forms a new worldwide group called Harper & Collins…
News Corporation acquires William Collins Ltd., and brings together Collins, Harper & Row, Gower Publishing, Times Books, Bartholomew, and Angus & Robertson in a new worldwide group called Harper & Collins. More
Profiles in Courage
Pulitzer Prize winner that helped propel the young senator to the White House. More
The Book of Negroes
A milestone in Canada’s understanding of black history and one of the bestselling books in Canadian publishing history. More