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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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W.H. Smith
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Newsagent, stationer and bookselling chain named after William Henry Smith (1792–1865), who developed a newspaper shop opened by his parents in London in 1792. By efficient use of the stage-coach network, William Henry beat his rivals in the distribution of newspapers from London. Subsequently his son, also William Henry, used the railways to change the business from a London shop into a national retail chain.
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In 1848 he secured an exclusive contract to place stalls selling newspapers and cheap books on the platforms of the London and North-Western Railway; the stalls flourished in a period when novels were sold in instalments and paperbacks were being introduced. In the early 20C the firm gave up its station bookstalls in favour of premises on station approaches and subsequently on high streets, but branches of W.H. Smith later reappeared on railway stations as well as featuring prominently in airports.
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