Signet Press
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
| Parent company | Ananda Publishers |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1943 |
| Founder | D. K. Gupta |
| Country of origin | India |
| Headquarters location | College Street, (in front of Sanskrit College), Kolkata, West Bengal |
| Publication types | Books |
Signet Press (est.1943) is a publishing house in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, founded by Dilip Kumar Gupta (popularly known as D.K.) and his mother-in-law Neelima Guha Thakurta.[1][2]
History
[edit]The film director Satyajit Ray worked as a visual designer for Signet Press early in his career, designing many of the house's book covers.[3] Signet Press published numerous books, including works by prominent authors such as Jawaharlal Nehru's Discovery of India, Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay's Pather Panchali and Chander Pahar, and Jibanananda Das's Rupasi Bangla and Banalata Sen.
Following D.K. Gupta's illness and death in the late 1970s, the business temporarily closed before being revived after its purchase by Ananda Publishers.
Historical significance in Bengali publishing
[edit]In Boiyer Ghor[4], writer Shankha Ghosh discusses Signet Press, its location, and its poetry publications:
"Then came the store of Signet press. That is, it came to College Street. Even in the forties, many books were published from Signet, with its consistent elegance in selection and printing. But with the opening of its new store on Bankim Chatterjee Street, we no longer had to wander from place to place looking for books of poetry, be it Jibanananda Das or Sudhindranath Dutta. Dilip Kumar Gupta's diligent work on the neatness of printing (everyone knows him as DK), Satyajit Ray's excellent aesthetic taste illustrating its covers, and the writings of modern poets - all these combined to create a desirable environment for all of us. In the years fifty-two and fifty-three, when we were twenty-one years of age, we saw the publication of new books from Signet, appearing one after the other; 'Banalata Sen', 'Sanvarta', 'Parapar', 'Naam rekhechi Komal Gandhar', 'Amavasya!'. Then came the new edition of 'Orchestra' with a brand new, changed, introduction of which we began to return to our mouths: ‘I am rooted in darkness, rising towards the light’. ‘Samar Sen’s Poems’. The new versions of 'Swagata' and 'Kulaya O Kalpurush' to be released from Signet in their new attire were still a few years away. It is safe to say that Signet also emboldened modern poetry. They also started publishing books by young poets like Naresh Guha and Nirendranath Chakravarti. Besides, new versions of 'Prothoma' and 'Samrat', or 'Winter Prayer: Answer to Spring' appeared in different houses. We no longer had any difficulty finding poetry books. Signet's organization was ubiquitous, with a pervasive message to 'read poetry, read poetry'. They even had many new ideas to attract aspiring minds from many directions, like including a small, lovely gift slip with a book."
— Shankha Ghosh, Boiyer Ghor
References
[edit]- ^ Bandyopadhyay, Jagori (27 February 2022). "সিগনেটের ম্যাডাম". Anandabazar (in Bengali). Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ Chattopadhyay, Sohini (1 March 2023). "How Satyajit Ray and 80-Year-old Kolkata firm Signet Press changed publishing in India". Moneycontrol. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ Robinson, Andrew (2004). Satyajit Ray: the Inner Eye. London: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 1-86064-965-3.
- ^ Ghosh, Shankha. শঙ্খ ঘোষ [Boiyer Ghor]. Signet Press. ISBN 9788129513922.