Interview with Bob Ross

Interview with Bob (Robert Matheson) Ross, born Lower Hutt in 1939. Talks about being a school teacher but needing more income and getting a job running the educational department of Paul's Book Arcade in Auckland. Comments on the manual nature of the clerical work at the time. Discusses how this job led him to an interest in publishing and being employed by A H & A W Reed Publishers in Wellington in 1964 where he formed a close working relationship with Ray Richards and contributed to starting their educational publishing programme. Talks about other key staff at Reeds and comments that it was a sophisticated company with good decision-making at a time that was ripe for expansion. Refers to moving to Cambridge University Press (CUP) in Wellington in 1968, a company with a list that was largely educational and academic but also had a general range of books and was an important publisher of bibles. Describes his role as largely marketing to schools and universities. Mentions that in 1970 a decision was made in the UK for CUP and Macmillan to share facilities in New Zealand, and he began selling books to booksellers as well. Explains that at that time they marketed to individual bookshops, and that all stock was imported. Refers to several mainly British companies setting up publishing arms in New Zealand in the 1970s, rather than just sales outposts, at a time when Reeds were publishing New Zealand memoirs and autobiographies that were capturing the imagination. Refers to his international travel with CUP, and leaving the company in 1980. Discusses setting up Benton Ross Publishers in 1981 with his wife Helen and how they built up their own list, financing their early publishing by importing books. Describes Benton Ross being bought by Random House after nine years, with agreement that Bob and Helen were to manage the new Random House New Zealand business, but that arrangement did not work out. Outlines how they set up a new publishing business in New Zealand (Tandem Press), with "Once Were Warriors" by Alan Duff as their first title. Comments that Tandem Press had agencies for small US publishers until 1998 as well as its New Zealand list. Discusses his work since 1980 in promoting the export of New Zealand books and how this has become an important part of many publishers' business particularly for educational and children's books. Refers to numerous trips to the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Discusses his involvement with book trade organisations beginning with the New Zealand Book Trade Organisation and later the Booksellers Association of New Zealand (now called Booksellers New Zealand, and includes both publishers and booksellers). Refers to the publishers' association, the Book Publishers Association of New Zealand, and the issues it dealt with including copyright, export, training, and points of disagreement with retailers. Comments on parallel importing which made copyright and territorial agreements meaningless and threatened Tandem Press.

Interviewer(s) - Linda Cassells

Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHC-015771 - OHC-015772

Quantity: 1 printed abstract(s). 2 C60 cassette(s). 1 interview(s). 2.06 Hours and minutes Duration.

Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete OHA-5644.

Search dates: 1939 - 2003

Original recordings not available for playback. Surrogate copies will be provided.