Murdoch Books is an Australian publisher, mainly of gardening and cook books.
The company had its beginnings when The Advertiser of Adelaide started printing magazines. Advertiser Magazines was renamed Murdoch Magazines in 1988. It published Australian editions of magazines Better Homes and Gardens and Family Circle.
Matt Handbury, a nephew of Rupert Murdoch, ran the company from 1987 and in 1989 launched New Woman. He purchased Murdoch Magazines in 1991. Over the years the company grew and became a very well-respected, albeit small player, in the highly competitive magazine market, and regarding securing its share of the advertising dollar, "punched well above its weight".
The company philosophy was "our purpose is to develop the most highly involved readers and to convince advertisers of the extraordinary and untapped benefit that involvement delivers".
