Green Tiger Press

Green Tiger Press was an American publishing company known for producing reproductions of illustrations from old children's books and creating children's and gift books.^[1] The company was founded by Harold and Sandra Darling in the mid-1960s.^[1]

Before establishing Green Tiger Press, Harold Darling had previously set up The Sign of the Sun bookstore and The Shadow Box film theatre.^[2] Those businesses became the Unicorn Theatre and the Mithras Bookstore located in La Jolla, California.  Sandra, a literature graduate who later pursued painting, designed film programs and posters for the Unicorn Theatre.^[2]

Green Tiger Press started as a postcard business specializing in reproductions of out-of-print illustrations by artists such as Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac, Warwick Goble, Jessie Willcox Smith, and Boutet de Monvel.^[1][2] Sandra's suggestion to reproduce these illustrations led to a positive response, prompting the couple to move the business to larger premises and expand their offerings to include hand-tipped notecards, matted prints, and books.^[2] The press also began accepting manuscripts and commissioning artists to create books like The Book of Unicorns, which included a combination of old illustrations, newly commissioned pieces, and text written by Harold.^[2]

In 2023, the La Jolla Historical Society paid tribute to Green Tiger Press, The Unicorn Theatre, and The Mithras Bookstore in their exhibition titled 'Tigers, Unicorns, and Puppy Dog Tales'.^[3] The exhibition ran from September 23, 2023 to January 21, 2024.^[4]

Green Tiger Press published books such as All Mirrors Are Magic Mirrors, which emphasized.^[5] The press also released award-winning children's books, including The Teddy Bears' Picnic by Alexandra Day, which received recognition at the Children’s International Book Fair in Bologna, Italy.^[2] The press's popular series, The Good Dog, Carl, was based on an idea found in an old book, while 'The Night Rainbow' by Cooper Edens became one of  their best-selling works.^[2]

In 1986, Green Tiger Press was acquired by Simon and Schuster.^[6][7] The Darlings continued with their stationery line and founded Laughing Elephant Publishing, focusing on gift books and paper products.^[5] The Darlings later reacquired Green Tiger in 2010, and the press continues to publish children's books.^[5]

Chev and Benjamin Darling, the second generation of Darlings, founded Laughing Elephant Gifts and Books, respectively.^[5] Laughing Elephant Gifts, located in Seattle, Washington, specializes in unique gifts using vintage images from the Laughing Elephant and Green Tiger Press archives.^[5][8] Laughing Elephant Books, run by Benjamin Darling in San Diego, California, focuses on publishing children’s and gift books featuring vintage illustrations and designs from the archives.^[8][5]

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