N. W. Damm & Søn

N. W. Damm & Søn, often shortened to Damm, was a Norwegian publishing house established in Christiania, now Oslo, on 4 December 1843 by Niels Wilhelm Damm. The company became a long-lived family publishing business whose name reflected the involvement of the founder's son, Harald Christian Damm. Its principal activity was book publishing, and it also operated retail businesses connected with books, including stores selling new and used books. The business remained under family control for several generations. Harald Christian Damm became a co-owner and later, after 1878, the sole owner. Ownership subsequently passed to his son, Arne Damm. This succession gave the company continuity as a family-controlled Norwegian publisher while its activities extended beyond publishing into book retail. The used-book business was sold during the 1960s, and the company's bookstore was closed in 1972, leaving publishing as its central identified activity. A major structural change occurred in 1984, when the publishing house was sold out of family ownership to Norske Egmont. This ended the Damm family's direct ownership of the business but preserved Damm as a recognizable publishing name. The company continued as a publishing operation under new ownership until a further consolidation in 2007. In that year, N. W. Damm & Søn was merged into the newly established publishing house Cappelen Damm. The merger marked the end of N. W. Damm & Søn as an independent publishing-house entity. Its historical significance lies in its long operation in Norway, its multigenerational family ownership, its combination of publishing and bookselling activities, and its eventual incorporation into a larger publishing structure. Available reference material does not provide a complete catalogue, detailed financial history, headquarters information, or a comprehensive account of individual imprints and authors, so those details are not asserted here.

N. W. Damm & Søn was founded on 4 December 1843 by Niels Wilhelm Damm in Norway. The company developed as a family-owned publishing house and took the name N. W. Damm & Søn after Damm's son, Harald Christian Damm, joined the business as a co-owner. Harald Christian Damm later became the sole owner in 1878. Ownership subsequently passed to his son, Arne Damm, continuing the company's family succession. The business combined publishing with bookselling. In addition to issuing books, it owned stores selling both new and used books. The used-book store operation was sold during the 1960s, and the bookstore was closed in 1972. These changes narrowed the company's retail activities and left publishing as its principal known business. The family era ended in 1984, when N. W. Damm & Søn was sold to Norske Egmont. The transaction brought the publisher into a larger ownership structure while retaining the Damm name as an established Norwegian publishing identity. The company continued operating for several more decades before a major industry consolidation in 2007. N. W. Damm & Søn was then merged into the newly created Cappelen Damm publishing house. The 2007 merger concluded the independent corporate history of N. W. Damm & Søn. The available reference material identifies the company's founding, family succession, retail activities, transfer to Norske Egmont, and merger into Cappelen Damm, but does not supply enough detail to document a full bibliography, specific flagship series, financial performance, or a complete list of later managers.

• 2007

  Merged into Cappelen Damm

  [1]N. W. Damm & Sønen.wikipedia.org

  N. W. Damm & Søn was merged into the newly established Cappelen Damm publishing house.

• 1984

  Acquired from the Damm family

  [1]N. W. Damm & Sønen.wikipedia.org

  Norske Egmont acquired the publishing house, ending direct family ownership.

• 1972

  Bookstore closed

  [1]N. W. Damm & Sønen.wikipedia.org

  The company's bookstore was closed.

• 1960

  Used-book business sold

  [1]N. W. Damm & Sønen.wikipedia.org

  The company's used-book retail operation was sold during the 1960s.

• 1878

  Harald Christian Damm becomes sole owner

  [1]N. W. Damm & Sønen.wikipedia.org

  The founder's son, Harald Christian Damm, became the company's sole owner.

• 1843

  Company founded

  [1]N. W. Damm & Sønen.wikipedia.org

  Niels Wilhelm Damm established the publishing house on 4 December 1843.

A long-established Norwegian publishing house with a family-business heritage that later became part of larger publishing groups.

• Book publishing

  Books

  Book publishing was the company's core activity throughout its documented history. The available reference identifies N. W. Damm & Søn as a Norwegian publishing house but does not provide a sufficiently detailed catalogue to identify particular genres, series, authors, or best-selling titles without speculation.

• Book retail

  New and used books

  Alongside publishing, the company operated stores selling new and used books. The used-book business was sold during the 1960s, and the bookstore was closed in 1972, so these retail activities were not part of the company's later independent history.

• 2007

  Merger into Cappelen DammM&A

  Background

  A new publishing structure was created through the consolidation of N. W. Damm & Søn with Cappelen.

  Action taken

  N. W. Damm & Søn was merged into Cappelen Damm.

  Aftermath

  The Damm company ceased to operate as an independent publishing-house entity.

  Source

• 1984

  Sale to Norske EgmontM&A

  Background

  After more than a century of family ownership, the publishing house was transferred to Norske Egmont.

  Action taken

  Norske Egmont acquired N. W. Damm & Søn.

  Aftermath

  The transaction ended the Damm family's direct ownership while the publishing business continued under new ownership.

  Source

• 2007

  N. W. Damm & Søn merged into Cappelen Damm[1]N. W. Damm & Sønen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  The company was merged into the newly established publishing house Cappelen Damm, ending its existence as an independent publisher.

• 1984

  N. W. Damm & Søn sold to Norske Egmont[1]N. W. Damm & Sønen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  The publishing house was sold out of family ownership to Norske Egmont.

1. 1N. W. Damm & Sønen.wikipedia.org