Pollinger Limited are very pleased to announce that they have been appointed exclusive agents for Punch, with responsibility for all future book- and print-related projects derived from Punch’s extensive and unique archive.

Punch magazine was a very British institution with an international reputation for its witty and irreverent take on the world. The Punch Cartoon Library is the world’s best and largest repository of cartoon art available for licensing.

Renowned for its cartoons and satire, Punch was founded in 1841 by an assortment of publicans, printers and journalists. It remained in print for over 150 years, publishing the work of some of the greatest comic writers in English including: W M Thackeray, P G Wodehouse, G K Chesterton, A A Milne, Noel Coward, Miles Kington and Spike Milligan.

It was Punch that first introduced the use of the word ‘cartoon’ - referring to satirical or humorous drawings - into the English language, when in 1843 it mocked the government of the day’s costly exhibition of preliminary drawings (or cartoons) for a competition for paintings to decorate the new Houses of Parliament. The satirical use of the word stuck and Punch's cartoons went on to amuse, delight, shock and offend for a century and a half. Nearly 500,000 cartoons by some of the world’s finest illustrators were published in the magazine including John Tenniel, E H Shepard, H M Bateman, Pont, Fougasse, Norman Thelwell, Ronald Searle, Rowland Emett and Ralph Steadman.
Pollinger Limited will work to develop book projects from Punch’s vast and world-renowned archive. A first project will be a large-format, definitive survey of the best of Punch’s cartoons, covering its complete 150-year history.

Helen Walasek from Punch says:

‘We are very excited to be associated with Pollinger Limited. The cartoons and writings in Punch are a barely touched treasure-trove for publishers and we are looking forward to working with Pollinger to exploit this tremendous resource.’

Lesley Pollinger from Pollinger Limited says:

‘This is a marvellous opportunity to work with one of Britain’s great institutions and archives. We’re very proud to be involved. There are enormous possibilities for publishers, from coffee-table and gift books, to themed cartoon books and individual surveys of some of the world’s great illustrators. The possibilities are limitless.’

For further information please contact Tim Bates at Pollinger Limited
„ timbates@pollingerltd.com