Gomer Press

Gomer Press, also known as Gwasg Gomer, is a family-owned Welsh printing company based in Llandysul, in west Wales. Established in 1892, the business began as a general store and printing operation and remained under the ownership of the founding family. Over time, it developed into one of the most important publishing businesses associated with Wales and became widely known for books that reflected Welsh places, history, culture, language and artistic life. For much of its publishing history, Gomer operated across both Welsh- and English-language markets. Its English-language adult list included fiction, biography, history, travel writing, cookery, sport, literature and visual arts. The company published or worked with writers and artists connected with Wales, including Gillian Clarke, Jim Perrin, Kyffin Williams, Eddie Butler, Jeremy Moore and Idris Davies. This list positioned Gomer not simply as a general publisher, but as a specialist cultural publisher with a strong regional identity. Gomer also maintained substantial children's publishing programmes. Pont Books served as an English-language children's imprint focused on books with a Welsh connection. The imprint achieved particular recognition through the Tir na n-Og Awards, which honour books presenting an authentic Welsh background; the reference material identifies a run of recent English-language winners associated with Pont Books. Gomer's Welsh-language children's list covered books for younger readers through to teenage fiction. It included series and characters such as Smot, Chwedlau o Gymru, Cyfres Llyffantod, Cyfres Clwb Cysgu Cŵl, Sali Mali, Tudur Budr, Helpwch Eich Plentyn and Cyfres Lolipop, as well as books by the prolific Welsh author and poet T. Llew Jones. The adult Welsh-language list included works by significant literary figures such as Islwyn Ffowc Elis, T. Rowland Hughes, Gwenallt, Hywel Teifi Edwards, Angharad Price, Fflur Dafydd and Owen Martell. Gomer also developed bilingual publishing through the Trosiadau/Translations and Cip ar Gymru/Wonder Wales series. Across its Welsh-language children's and adult lists, the company contributed to the visibility and circulation of Welsh-language literature, while its English-language lists introduced Welsh subjects and perspectives to a wider readership. Jonathan Lewis, the founder's great-grandson, became managing director in 1995. The business continued to combine printing with publishing for decades, and in 2018 it produced 36 new titles. In September 2019, Gomer announced that it would close its publishing arm and concentrate on printing. The change ended 66 years of publishing under the Gomer name, but the company's 55 employees were retained. Gomer therefore continued as an active printing business, while its former publishing operation remained significant in the history of Welsh books and literary culture. The brand's identity rests on continuity, family ownership, Welsh cultural representation, bilingual and Welsh-language publishing expertise, and the practical capabilities of a long-established printer. Although it no longer publishes new titles according to the cited 2019 announcement, its historical catalogue spans adult and children's books in both Welsh and English and includes award-recognised children's literature, literary works, educational material, and books about Wales.

Gomer Press was established in 1892 in Llandysul, west Wales. It began as a general store and printer rather than as a dedicated book publisher. The enterprise remained in the same family over subsequent generations, creating a continuity that became an important part of its identity. From its base in a Welsh market town, the company eventually expanded its role from local and commercial printing into book publishing with a distinctive Welsh cultural focus. The publishing operation developed around four broad lists: English-language books for adults, English-language children's books, Welsh-language books for children, and Welsh-language books for adults. The English adult list covered a wide range of fiction and nonfiction, including history, travel writing, biography, literature, cookery, sport and visual arts. Its authors and contributors included writers, artists and public figures associated with Wales, among them Gillian Clarke, Jim Perrin, Kyffin Williams, Eddie Butler, Jeremy Moore and Idris Davies. These publications helped establish Gomer as a major source of books that interpreted Welsh life and culture for English-language readers. Children's publishing became another important part of the business. Pont Books was created as an English-language imprint for children's titles with a Welsh connection. Its list gained recognition through the Tir na n-Og Awards, presented by the Welsh Books Council for books that convey an authentic Welsh background. The reference material identifies multiple Pont-associated winners, including titles by Graham Howells, Daniel Morden and Jennifer Sullivan. This award history linked Gomer's children's publishing to the development and recognition of Welsh-themed literature for younger readers. Gomer's Welsh-language children's list extended from board books for very young readers to fiction for teenagers. It included series such as Chwedlau o Gymru, Cyfres Llyffantod, Cyfres Clwb Cysgu Cŵl, Helpwch Eich Plentyn and Cyfres Lolipop, along with well-known children's properties and authors including Sali Mali, Tudur Budr and T. Llew Jones. The breadth of this list allowed Gomer to serve different stages of Welsh-language reading and to support the availability of children's books in Welsh. The Welsh-language adult list included both established and modern literary voices. The cited material names Islwyn Ffowc Elis, T. Rowland Hughes, Gwenallt, Hywel Teifi Edwards, Angharad Price, Fflur Dafydd and Owen Martell among the authors whose work Gomer published. The company also issued bilingual series, including Trosiadau/Translations and Cip ar Gymru/Wonder Wales, which connected Welsh subjects and writing with English-language access. At least six Gomer publications won one of the two annual Welsh-language Tir na n-Og Awards between 2000 and 2012, further demonstrating the company's role in Welsh-language children's publishing. Jonathan Lewis, the founder's great-grandson, became managing director in 1995. Under the continuing family ownership, Gomer became widely described as Wales's largest publishing house. Its publishing activity remained closely linked to its printing capabilities, giving the company an integrated role in producing and distributing culturally specific books. In 2018, it produced 36 new titles. In September 2019, the company announced that it would close its publishing arm and focus on printing. The decision ended 66 years of publishing new titles under the Gomer operation, but it did not result in the loss of the company's workforce: the 55 employees were retained. The announcement marked a major strategic transition from a combined printer-publisher to a printing-focused business. Gomer consequently remained active as a printer, while its historical publishing catalogue continued to represent a substantial contribution to Welsh literary, educational and cultural publishing.

• 2019

  Publishing arm closed

  [1]Gomer Pressen.wikipedia.org

  Gomer announced that it would stop publishing new titles and focus on printing; its 55 employees were retained.

• 2018

  Thirty-six new titles published

  [1]Gomer Pressen.wikipedia.org

  Gomer produced 36 new titles during the year before announcing the closure of its publishing arm.

• 1995

  Jonathan Lewis becomes managing director

  [1]Gomer Pressen.wikipedia.org

  Jonathan Lewis, the founder's great-grandson, became managing director.

• 1953

  Publishing activity begins

  [1]Gomer Pressen.wikipedia.org

  The 2019 strategic announcement marked the end of 66 years of publishing, indicating that Gomer's publishing operation began around this period.

• 1892

  Business established

  [1]Gomer Pressen.wikipedia.org

  Gomer Press was founded in Llandysul as a general store and printing business.

A long-established Welsh family business positioned around high-quality printing and, historically, culturally distinctive publishing in Welsh and English. Its former publishing identity was particularly associated with books rooted in Welsh places, language, history, literature and artistic life.

• English-language children's publishing

  Pont Books

  Pont Books was Gomer's English-language children's imprint, focused on books with a Welsh connection. Its list covered children's literature that presented Welsh settings, history, identity or cultural experience to English-language readers. The imprint became particularly associated with Tir na n-Og recognition, with several of its books receiving the Welsh Books Council's English-language award for an authentic Welsh background.

• Children's publishing

  Welsh-language children's books

  Gomer's Welsh-language children's programme ranged from board books for early readers to fiction for teenagers. It included series and titles such as Smot, Chwedlau o Gymru, Cyfres Llyffantod, Cyfres Clwb Cysgu Cŵl, Sali Mali, Tudur Budr, Helpwch Eich Plentyn and Cyfres Lolipop. The list also included works by T. Llew Jones and other contributors to Welsh children's literature.

• Adult publishing

  Welsh-language adult books

  The Welsh-language adult list published literary and cultural works by important Welsh-language authors, including Islwyn Ffowc Elis, T. Rowland Hughes, Gwenallt, Hywel Teifi Edwards, Angharad Price, Fflur Dafydd and Owen Martell. It formed a central part of Gomer's role in supporting Welsh-language literature across generations.

• Adult publishing

  English-language adult books

  Gomer's English-language adult list covered fiction, history, travel writing, biography, literature, cookery, sport and visual arts. The list was notable for its Welsh subject matter and for contributions from writers, artists and commentators including Gillian Clarke, Jim Perrin, Kyffin Williams, Eddie Butler, Jeremy Moore and Idris Davies.

• Bilingual publishing

  Trosiadau/Translations

  Trosiadau/Translations was one of Gomer's bilingual series. It formed part of the company's effort to connect Welsh-language writing and themes with English-language readers through translated or parallel-language publications.

• Bilingual cultural publishing

  Cip ar Gymru/Wonder Wales

  Cip ar Gymru/Wonder Wales was a bilingual series presenting aspects of Wales for readers across Welsh- and English-language contexts. It reflected Gomer's broader interest in making Welsh places, culture and identity accessible through more than one language.

• Printing · 1892

  Printing services

  Printing was the company's original activity and became its strategic focus after the 2019 closure of the publishing arm. The available reference material does not specify the full range of current printing services, but confirms that Gomer continued operating as a printing company and retained its 55 employees after the transition.

• 2019

  Shift from combined publishing and printing to printing focusStrategy

  Background

  Gomer had operated a publishing arm for 66 years and produced 36 new titles in 2018. In September 2019, it announced a major change to its business model.

  Action taken

  The company closed its publishing arm and stopped publishing new titles, while retaining its 55 employees and continuing as a printing-focused business.

  Aftermath

  The decision ended Gomer's publishing operation but preserved the company's printing activity and workforce. It marked the end of one of Wales's best-known publishing houses as an active new-title publisher.

  Source

1. 1Gomer Pressen.wikipedia.org