The company published works by prominent Canadian authors, artists, and poets, including Robertson Davies, Emily Carr, A.Y.

[2] The Canadian division of the company had seen hard times during the Great Depression, and, after the death of its director Samuel Gundy, William Clarke was able to take control of OUP.

[3] The company saw commercial success with a Canadian writer with the publication of Emily Carr's Klee Wyck.

Although originally released by OUP, Clarke, Irwin published an abridged educational version used heavily in Canadian schools.

A partnership with Jonathan Cape had popular spy novelists Ian Fleming and Len Deighton published under Clarke, Irwin in Canada.

Through Chatto & Windus, the company was able to print several backlists, including authors such as Fyodor Dostoevsky and Lawrence Durrell.

[5] In 1972, Clarke, Irwin became the first Canadian publisher to have a children's book editor when they hired author Janet Lunn.

[1] Apart from Carr's Klee Wyck, Clarke, Irwin had success with several other art related books, including A.Y.

Although not a major source of poetry, Clarke, Irwin had success with Alden Nowlan's collection Bread, Wine and Salt in 1968.