Hill House Publishers Pty. Ltd. (Melb. & Lond.) is the original publishing house to bear the name, and was set up in 1982 in Melbourne, Australia by world-renowned naturalist/lepidopterist Bernard d’Abrera and his wife, Lucilla Wyborn d’Abrera. The first book under the new imprint, Hill House Publishers, was published in 1982, (Butterflies of the Oriental Region Part I. ISBN 095936903) when they decided to take control of the production of their own publications from Lansdowne Press, then of Melbourne, Australia.

Two years after establishing Hill House Publishers (Melb. & Lond.), Bernard d’Abrera was recognised for his work, by the Rolex Awards for Enterprise (1984). From there he continued his monumental opus on the Butterflies of the World (at present comprising 20 volumes), as well as a further 10 volumes on the larger moths and some specialised butterfly groups. All his work was based on the peerless collections of the British Museum (Natural History) in London (now known as Natural History Museum) as well as on his visits to other international scientific institutions. His work in museums has been balanced by field expeditions to many countries, especially where environmental degradation has begun permanently to affect natural habitats for the worse. The author’s visits to the field are marked by his renowned photographic record of the living fauna in its natural environment.

In 1987, Hill House Publishers (Melb. & Lond.) pioneered a process for making facsimiles from originals, without the use of a camera or any intermediate photographic stage. Following successful trials, Hill House Publishers (Melb. & Lond.) were awarded an exclusive licence by the British Museum (Natural History) to produce Authentic Facsimiles (not mere reproductions) of priceless and rare antiquarian books, prints and maps from the world famous libraries of that institution. Principally, and most famously, Hill House Publishers (Melb. & Lond.) have produced 21 volumes of the 46 known works by the great ornithologist, John Gould. These 21 volumes include the complete 8-volume set on the Birds of Australia , 3 volumes on the Birds of New Guinea, 2 volumes on the Birds of Great Britain, 2 volumes on the Hummingbirds, and the Monograph of the Toucans (2^nd Edn.)

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