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Ian Allan Publishing titles sold to Crecy Books


Graham_Muz

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Announced today that all Ian Allan Publishing titles have been sold - although the imprint name has not been transferred - together with the OPC imprint and the 'abc' brand, to Crecy Books with immediate effect.

 

https://www.facebook.com/IanAllanPublishing/posts/1190818517699198

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Indeed they sold most of the magazine titles to Key Publishing a while back, now the remains of the publishing titles have also been sold. They have just posted the following on Facebook:

 

"This is the last post from Ian Allan Publishing - with sincere thanks to all our friends, fans and customers who have shown such loyal support over many years. Over and out...."

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Having been on their mailing list for years, feeling guilty now that I didn't take advantage of any of their Christmas offers. I guess only time will tell if any of their titles/series will survive, vanish forever, or get reprinted on cheap and nasty paper for the Garden Centre "bargain" books table.

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IA seem to still have quite a portfolio of business interests including publishing masonic (freemasons) manuscripts/books/magazines (under the Lewis Masonic brand name), plus running their book/model shops, property and the business travel agency and motor franchises already mentioned.

 

But a shame about the railway book publishing. Fingers crossed Crècy step up to the mark (it was one of the famous three battles the English won against the French in the hundred years war - Poitiers, Crècy and Agincourt)

 

G

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Indeed they sold most of the magazine titles to Key Publishing a while back, now the remains of the publishing titles have also been sold. They have just posted the following on Facebook:

 

"This is the last post from Ian Allan Publishing - with sincere thanks to all our friends, fans and customers who have shown such loyal support over many years. Over and out...."

Is it just me but "over and out" is a madness as "over" means you expect a reply and "out" means that the conversation is finished and you do not expect or want a reply. 

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Is it just me but "over and out" is a madness as "over" means you expect a reply and "out" means that the conversation is finished and you do not expect or want a reply.

It's not just you. As an RAC Con Sig it really grates. It's the sort of thing that you'd expect from a stolen valour Walt!

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How very sad. Having cut my journalistic teeth at Ian Allan Publishing in two stints from 1963-8 and again from 1977-92 I was with the company when it was at the top of its game. When I joined in 1963 they were still at Craven House in Hampton Court and moved soon afterwards to Shepperton. Whilst there were several different arms to the business - the high street travel agencies, for instance, were launched from the new office at Shepperton and sold off many years ago - it was the publishing business that IA started with his roneo-ed sheets of loco numbers which became the Abc booklets. At least he did not live to see it disposed of. (CJL)

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I understand that the publishing side of IA has not been doing very well in recent years so it's no great surprise that they have sold it. I don't think it would have happened whilst Ian Allan himself was still around.

 

One thing Crecy could usefully consider is a reprint of Profile of the Warships (OPC).

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I only once, a very long time ago, visited their Hampton Court branch, but when I lived and worked in South London, I frequented the Lower Marsh shop. Strangely it was mainly in my military modelling/ wargames figure painting period. They had quite a good range of military books, perhaps the proximity of the Imperial War Museum had something to do with it.

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At least we won't be having IA referred to as Ian Allen. Almost as bad as "train station".

I think there used to be a lot of confusion because Cecil J Allen was one of the company's leading railway authors, and his son Geoffrey Freeman Allen was Publishing Director when I first worked there. I guess people assumed that Ian was also an Allen. (CJL)

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I only once, a very long time ago, visited their Hampton Court branch, but when I lived and worked in South London, I frequented the Lower Marsh shop. Strangely it was mainly in my military modelling/ wargames figure painting period. They had quite a good range of military books, perhaps the proximity of the Imperial War Museum had something to do with it.

About 15 years ago I (very briefly) worked at the Lower Marsh shop. At the time the then shop manager was only interested in the military side of things - he actively looked-down on transport enthusiasts. I don't know how long he stayed (it was longer than me) but that would probably explain why they had a good range of military books...

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When I used to call on the Lower Marsh shop on behalf of the Welsh Railways Research Circle the staff were always very pro railway and very knowledgeable. I seem to remember that one was something of an expert on the Festiniog Railway. 

I one applied for a job at Shepperton and actually got an interview - but not the job.

Jonathan

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