Canongate was founded in 1973 byStephanie Wolfe Murray and her husband Angus Wolfe Murray.[4] Originally a speciality press focusing on Scottish-interest books, generally with small print runs, its most major author wasAlasdair Gray. In 1994, it was purchased from the receiver in a management buyout led byJamie Byng, using funds provided by his stepfatherChristopher Bland and his father-in-law Charlie McVeigh, and began to publish more general works, including thePocket Canons editions of books of theBible, as well as thePayback Press andRebel Inc. imprints.[5][6] Byng is CEO of the company.
In June 2010 it was announced that a "living archive" of Canongate Books was to be established at theUniversity of Dundee in collaboration with the University's Archive Services, which will be used for teaching and research.[7][8]
Canongate once had a sister company in Australia, Text Publishing; Canongate's majority interest was sold in 2011.[9] It also has joint venture operations with the children's publisherWalker who will publish selected titles for theiryoung adult fiction list.[10]Grove/Atlantic, Inc. publishes under the Canongate U.S. imprint, also under a joint venture arrangement.[11] In March 2010, Canongate and Dirtee Stank announced a joint venture agreement to publishDizzee Rascal's memoir, although this agreement later fell through.[12]
Canongate is part of the Independent Alliance, a global alliance of 10 UK publishers and their international publishing partners.[13] In 2009, the Alliance was the UK's fifth-largest publisher.[14]
Julian Assange – the Unauthorised Autobiography (2011). Assange's autobiography was published without his consent, and Canongate and Assange gave differing accounts of the events surrounding publication.[16][17]
The Death of Bunny Munro (2009), the second novel by musicianNick Cave,[18] was announced in 2008. It was published in hardback, audiobook, ebook and iPhone application formats in September 2009.
The Crimson Petal and the White (2002), a historical novel set in Victorian England. Faber followed this with a collection of stories,The Apple (2006).
Life of Pi (2001, Canongate edition 2002), the first Scottish-published book to win theBooker Prize or to sell a million copies in its first year.[20] An illustrated hardback edition was published in 2007.
