Gordon and Gotch from the 1940s to the present : regional distribution and integration in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea

The focus of this analysis will be on Gordon and Gotch Ltd and its regional role in the distribution of books and print culture more generally. Such a study of books and empire appears particularly timely in view of the fact that the company reached its 150th year in 2003. On similar occassions, Gordon and Gotch marked its fiftieth and hundredth years with commemorative volumes. Beyond 1953, however, little in the way of company records exists apart from occassional publications and its annual reports; nor is it likely that a new commemorative volume will be published at this time when the company is struggling to survive. Although my recent contribution to the "History of the Book in Australia, 1945 to the Present" goes some way to sketching its post-war activities, a definitive history of this major print distributor remains to be written. In the history of Australian books and media print, Gordon and Gotch exists simultaneously as a household name and an invisible market agent operating between ublishers, on one hand, and booksellers and readers, on the other. The aim of this article will be to provide an overview of Gordon and Gotch's print-based operations across the region in the post-war period, concentrating not only on the consolidation of its Australian business, but also on its related activities in New Zealand and most recently Papua New Guinea.