>Johnpacklambert at 19:14, 26 May 2021

2021-05-26T19:14:19Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox company
| name = A. H. Wheeler
| logo = [[File:Wheeler Logo AJ.jpg|center|300px|A. H. Wheeler company logo]]
| type = [[Bookstore]]
| foundation = Prayagraj (1877)
| hq_location_city = [[Allahabad|Prayagraj]], [[India]]
| key_people = [[Émile Moreau (businessman)|Émile Moreau]] and T. K. Banerjee<br/>(Co-founders)
| industry =
| locations =
| revenue =
| operating_income=
| net_income=
| num_employees =
| homepage = [http://ahwheeler.com www.ahwheeler.com]
}}
[[File:A.H. Wheeler & Co. - Sawai Madhopur - F7040 Wikipedia Veethi.JPG|thumb|An A.H. Wheeler Bookstore at Sawai Madhopur railway station, Rajasthan]]

'''A. H. Wheeler & Co. Pvt. Ltd.''', commonly known as '''A. H. Wheeler''' or simply '''Wheeler''', is an [[India]]n-owned company that owns a [[List of bookstore chains|bookstore chain]]. Co-founded by [[Émile Moreau (businessman)|Émile Moreau]],<ref>Anu Kumar, [https://qz.com/486051/the-mysterious-european-businessman-who-gave-india-its-iconic-railway-book-stalls/ The mysterious European businessman who gave India its iconic railway book stalls], Quartz India, 24 August 2015. Retrieved on 9 March 2017.</ref><ref>[http://www.oldframlinghamian.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=12881 EMILE EDOUARD MOREAU CBE (1871-72)], The Society of Old Framlinghamians. Retrieved on 9 March 2017.</ref> a [[French people|French]] businessman, T. K. Banerjee, an [[Indian people|Indian]] businessman, and others, in [[Allahabad|Prayagraj]] in 1877, it mainly operates from railway stations.<ref>[https://ahwheeler.com/?page_id=37 History - A. H. Wheeler], ahwheeler.com. Retrieved on 28 January 2017.</ref>

A. H. Wheeler borrowed its name from the then-successful [[London]] bookstore and its owner, "Arthur Henry Wheelers", who was also a friend of Emile Moreau and helped him financially.<ref>Atul Sethi, [http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:LowLevelEntityToPrint_TOINEW&Type=text/html&Locale=english-skin-custom&Path=TOICH/2011/09/04&ID=Ar01501 "Train of Thoughts"], ''The Times of India'' Chennai, 4 September 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2017.</ref>

==History==
After its foundation in 1877, the company grew to have stores at railway stations all over India, especially in the north.<ref name="Telegraph-20040707">{{cite web|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1040707/asp/frontpage/story_3464475.asp|title=Wheeler, Wheeler, more dealers|last=Singh|first=Garima|date=2004-07-07|work=The Telegraph|accessdate=9 April 2012|location=Kolkata|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106081020/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1040707/asp/frontpage/story_3464475.asp|archive-date=6 November 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="O'Brien2006">{{cite book|author=Derek O'Brien|title=The Penguin-CNBC-TV18 business yearbook 2006-07|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KvgVAQAAMAAJ|year=2006|publisher=New York|isbn=978-0-14-310098-0}}</ref>{{rp|56}} The first store was opened at [[Allahabad|Prayagraj]] railway station in 1877.<ref name="HT-20110819">{{cite web|url=http://www.livemint.com/2011/08/19213751/The-original-Wheeler-dealers.html|title=The original Wheeler dealers|last=Motihar|first=Jhilmil|date=2011-08-19|publisher=HT Media|accessdate=9 April 2012|location=New Delhi}}</ref> In 1888 the company began publishing a series of booklets known as the [[Indian Railway Library]].

The Banerjees took over the company in 1950. In 2004 it had bookstores at 258 railway stations all over India. It contributed to about 80% of the revenue earned by the [[Indian Railways]] from book sales.<ref name="Telegraph-20040707" /> Up to 2004, it had a monopoly on selling books at railway stations.<ref name="Himal-201105">{{cite web |url=http://www.himalmag.com/component/content/article/4408-five-centuries-of-print-.html |title=Five centuries of print |last=Chaterjee |first=Rimi B. |date=May 2011 |publisher=The Southasia Trust |accessdate=9 April 2012 |location=[[Kathmandu]] |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110508105143/http://himalmag.com/component/content/article/4408-five-centuries-of-print-.html |archivedate=8 May 2011 }}</ref> it is headquartered in [[Allahabad|Prayagraj]] and the distribution network is also managed from there.<ref name="HT-20110819"/>

A 2004 Indian Railways circular stated: "At present M/s. A.H. Wheeler & Co. is enjoying sole selling rights for running bookstalls at platforms on which this company had been running the same till 01.01.1976. It has now been decided that M/s. A.H. Wheeler & Co. shall not have any sole selling rights henceforth and their rights are brought at par with others. The number of bookstalls held by M/s. A.H. Wheeler & Co. and M/s. Higginbothams Ltd. are at present frozen. Since, the sole selling rights of M/s.A.H. Wheeler & Co. have been withdrawn and their rights have been brought at par with others, the freezing on the holding of stalls by M/s. A.H. Wheeler & Co. and M/s. Higginbothams Ltd. is also removed. In view of the need for decongesting the platform, any fresh allotment of any new bookstall to any category at the stations where [[railways]] had frozen the holding of M/s. A.H. Wheeler & Co. and M/s. Higginbothams Ltd. should have to be amply justified before any such decision is taken. The allotment at such stations should be done only with the personal approval of General Manager, irrespective of the type of station."<ref name="GOI-IR-RB-20040611">{{cite web|url=http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/tourism/downloads/book-stall-policy-2004.pdf|title=(COMMERCIAL CIRCULAR NO. 19 OF 2004) Sub: Bookstall Policy – 2004 |last=Kant|first=Kamal|date=2004-07-07|publisher=GOVERNMENT OF INDIA, MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS, RAILWAY BOARD|accessdate=9 April 2012|location=New Delhi}}</ref>{{rp|6}}

According to ''The Financial Express'' this loss of [[monopoly]] was a result of a "New Book policy" being implemented by the [[Indian Railways]]. It also carries Wheeler's claims that it was the first Indian company to be granted "total rights of any business" by the British, which it gained in 1937.<ref name="TFE-20040704">{{cite web|url=http://www.financialexpress.com/news/ah-wheelers-future-uncertain/110007/0|title=AH Wheeler's Future Uncertain|date=2004-07-04|publisher=The Indian Express Online Media (Pvt) Ltd|accessdate=9 April 2012|location=New Delhi}}</ref>

The following restrictions have been introduced by the Indian Railways on the nature of books sold on its platforms: "Sale of all types of obscene, scurrilous, smutty, pornographic, offensive or objectionable publications including pirated books is prohibited at all bookstalls. Zonal railways should exercise strict supervision and in case any licensee is found indulging in sale of such literature
serious view should be taken including termination of licence."<ref name="GOI-IR-RB-20040611" />{{rp|11}}

==Notable publications==

''[[Plain Tales from the Hills]]'' written by [[Rudyard Kipling]] were issued as the "Indian Railway Library Series" by Wheeler.<ref name="Cunliffe2005">{{cite book|author=J. W. Cunliffe|title=English Literature During the Last Half Century|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZfBLiC13TVoC&pg=PA172|year=2005|publisher=Kessinger Publishing|isbn=978-1-4179-8898-3|pages=171–172}}</ref> These were the first publications of Kipling's collection of stories.<ref name="HaleKhair2001">{{cite book|author1=Nanette Hale|author2=Tabish Khair|title=Unhinging Hinglish: The Languages and Politics of Fiction in English from the Indian Subcontinent|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZQvjM0C5UnkC&pg=PA46|year=2001|publisher=Museum Tusculanum Press|isbn=978-87-7289-672-4|page=46}}</ref> These books were sold on railway stations. They cost ''One rupee'', then ''fifteenth part of a pound''. Richard Jaffa considers them "amongst the early paperbacks".<ref name="Jaffa2011">{{cite book|author=Richard Jaffa|title=Man and Mason-Rudyard Kipling|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1BysDYGdNYEC&pg=PA96|year=2011|publisher=AuthorHouse|isbn=978-1-4567-8134-7|page=96}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[https://medium.com/datadriveninvestor/a-city-isnt-a-city-without-a-bookstore-an-ode-to-a-h-wheelers-ddbf29e7b319 14. ^ A city isn’t a city without a bookstore : A.H. Wheelers — Book Heaven in Prayagraj, India<nowiki>]</nowiki>]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wheeler, A. H., and Co}}
[[Category:Publishing companies of India]]
[[Category:Retail companies established in 1877]]
[[Category:Bookstores of India]]
[[Category:Book publishing companies of India]]
[[Category:Transport culture of India]]
[[Category:Railway culture]]
[[Category:1877 establishments in India]]

A. H. Wheeler - Revision history

>Johnpacklambert at 19:14, 26 May 2021