Williams Publishing was the short-lived European comics and magazines publishing division of Warner Communications in the 1970s. Headquartered at the Columbia-Warner House in London,^[1] Williams had European-language divisions in Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and West Germany. Comics titles were for the most part translations of American publications — many of them Warner properties — as well as some U.K. and European titles. Initiated in 1971, most of the Williams publishing divisions were closed or sold off in the period 1974–1979.

Williams evolved from Gilberton World-Wide Publications, the European-language divisions of Gilberton, publisher of Classics Illustrated. In the period 1956–1957, at the height of Classics Illustrated's popularity, Gilberton established a number of Northern European branch companies — in Denmark (I.K. [Illustrerede klassikere]), the Netherlands (Classics), Norway (Illustrerte Klassikere), Sweden (Illustrerade Klassiker), and West Germany (Internationale Klassiker) — to translate Classics Illustrated into their languages.

In 1959, Gilberton acquired the British publisher Thorpe & Porter (T & P), ostensibly for the same purpose.^[2] In 1962, the production of new issues of Classics Illustrated shifted from Gilberton's New York offices to Thorpe & Porter in London, with the founder/publisher's son, William E. "Bill" Kanter, overseeing everything beginning in 1963.^{[2][lower-alpha 1]}

The first use of the Williams name began in 1965, when Gilberton's Swedish branch, Illustrerade Klassiker, was reorganized into Williams Förlags AB.^[3] (Bill Kanter was very involved with Gilberton World-Wide Productions,^[2] so one theory is that the name Williams Publishing was derived from William Kanter.)^[3]

In West Germany, Internationale Klassiker became Bildschriftverlag (BSV). BSV was acquired by National Comics Publications (i.e., DC Comics) in 1966. That same year, Thorpe & Porter, after going bankrupt, was also bought by National;^[4] this sale included all the Gilberton World-Wide Productions European branches.

In the summer of 1967, Kinney National Company acquired National Comics Publications and its sister publisher, E. C. Publications (publisher of Mad). Kinney acquired Warner Bros.-Seven Arts in the spring of 1969, rebranding it as Warner Bros. In 1971, Warner's international distribution operations merged with Columbia Pictures to form Columbia-Warner Distributors. At this point, in the summer of 1971, with Thorpe & Porter now part of Warner, the T & P U.K. brand was mostly replaced by Williams Publishing and Distributing Co. Ltd.. Following suit, the Williams name took over the former Gilberton branches in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway, with new Williams branches being founded in Finland, Italy, and shortly, in France. (On February 10, 1972, Kinney's entertainment assets were reincorporated as Warner Communications).^[5]

Roger Noel Cook became UK CEO of Williams Publishing in c. 1974, with his focus mostly on the men's magazine division.