Mercier Press
| Industry | Publishing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1944 |
| Headquarters | Cork, Ireland |
|
Key people
|
Seán Feehan, founder |
| Products | Irish History, Biography, Literature, Kids, Sport, Politics, Business and Current Affairs |
| Website | http://www.mercierpress.ie/ |
Mercier Press is a publisher based in Cork, Ireland. It is the longest established independent Irish publishing house.[1]
History
The company was founded in 1944 by Seán Feehan, and initially published religious books. In 1946 they published This Tremendous Lover by Dom Eugene Boylan which sold over a million copies. At the Frankfurt Book Fair Feehan secured the translation rights of German books on philosophy and religion that sold well. In the 1960s they launched a successful range of paperbacks on Irish literature, culture, religion and history.[2]
Feehan remained chairman until his death in 1991, after which John Spillane took over until 2003, when Clodagh Feehan was appointed manager director.[2]
In the 1960s and 1970s the Mercier paperback books had a distinctive cover style.[3] This usually consisted of an illustration, in both pen & ink and brush & ink, and always in two colour. The format and back cover layout remained the same on each book. The artist John Skelton (1925-2009) was Mercier’s main cover designer – he worked as an art director and book illustrator before concentrating full-time on painting in 1975.
