In 1819 William Collins set up his first printing press in the ancient Candleriggs of Glasgow.

He was a key figure in the city's transition from a relatively small manufacturing and university town into a great commercial metropolis. William Collins, who counted the Duke of Wellington among his associates, died in 1853 having secured the foundations of a business which followed the traditional Scottish pattern of combining printing and publishing as one concern.

(William Collins, 1789 - 1853)

The earliest known Collins diary was printed in 1799 for T. Willis of London. The first Collins diaries for the mass market were published in 1881 with five titles in the range. At that time, Collins also crafted diaries for Queen of England as well as other nobles.

Collins & Sons went on to become one of the world's leading publishers. The product offering was expanded to include Bibles, dictionaries, educational publications, fictional and non-fictional books as well as a wide range of office products.

(Diary used by Dr Sun Yat San, 1866-1925).