Bridget Williams Books
Bridget Williams Books (BWB) is a New Zealand publisher based in Wellington. It was founded in 1990 by Bridget Williams after the company she worked for, Allen & Unwin, was sold. Williams bought the titles she had developed there and started her own publishing house with the goal of publishing “good books that sell” that carry meaningful messages. The books focus on New Zealand history, women’s and Māori history, and other contemporary topics.
From 1995 to 1998 BWB shared a joint imprint with Auckland University Press, then became independent again in 1998. In 2006 the company started the Bridget Williams Publishing Trust to seek grants for publishing specific titles. For example, in 2013 the J.R. McKenzie Trust funded the publication and promotion of Inequality – A New Zealand Crisis. In 2011 Tom Rennie joined as associate editor and helped create a digital publishing strategy, which led to the launch of BWB Texts in 2013—a series of short New Zealand–focused titles first published as e-books and later as paperbacks. Some titles in BWB Texts are funded by Creative New Zealand, and others by the Bridget Williams Books Publishing Trust.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 05:41 (CET).