COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 511130

Book Publishers & Printing

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

53companies1804–2001founding years53still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedTaylor & Francis Group plc
1804
FoundedMerriam-Webster Inc.
1831
FoundedWest Group
1882
FoundedRavensburger AG
1893
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedPennWell Corporation
1910
FoundedF&W Publications, Inc.
1913
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedLebhar-Friedman, Inc.
1925
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedTamedia AG
1933
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedHarlequin Enterprises Limited
1949
FoundedCentral Garden & Pet Company
1955
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedBobit Publishing Company
1961
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedWorkman Publishing Company, Inc.
1968
FoundedNolo.com, Inc.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
FoundedLonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedHealth Communications, Inc.
1977
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
FoundedMicrosoft Corporation
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
FoundedOnion, Inc.
1988
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
TechnologyLinux and open source challenge proprietary software.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
FoundedInformation Holdings Inc.
1996
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Taylor & Francis Group plc →
Active · founded 1804 · United Kingdom
The Taylor & Francis Group plc is a fast-growing and leading publisher of scholarly journals, textbooks, and books.
Société du Figaro S.A. →
Active · founded 1826 · France
One of France's oldest newspaper groups, Société du Figaro S.A.
Merriam-Webster Inc. →
Active · founded 1831
Merriam-Webster Inc.
Bonnier AB →
Active · founded 1837 · Sweden
Bonnier AB is one of the Nordic region's leading media groups, losing out the top spot to Finland's SanomaWSOY in 2001.
Bayard SA →
Active · founded 1873 · France
One of France's oldest publishing groups, Bayard SA is also one of the country's largest, particularly in its three…
West Group →
Active · founded 1882
West Group, the leading information provider to the U.S.
National Geographic Society →
Active · founded 1888
Founded as a club of distinguished gentlemen devoted to promoting the study of geography, the National Geographic…
The Sierra Club →
Active · founded 1892
The Sierra Club occupies a unique place in American culture.
Ravensburger AG →
Active · founded 1893 · Germany
Ravensburger AG is a publisher based in Ravensburg, Germany, that educates and entertains the whole family with its…
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. →
Active · founded 1904
Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1909
PennWell Corporation →
Active · founded 1910
For most of the 20th century, PennWell Corporation's principal publication was the Oil & Gas Journal.
Éditions Gallimard →
Active · founded 1911 · France
Éditions Gallimard is the third-largest publishing group in France.
Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A. →
Active · founded 1912 · Italy
Late 1980s:Battle for control of Mondadori begins between De Benedetti and Berlusconi.
F&W Publications, Inc. →
Active · founded 1913
F&W Publications, Inc.
Naspers Ltd. →
Active · founded 1915 · South Africa
Naspers Ltd.
The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. →
Active · founded 1922
The Reader's Digest Association, Inc.
Lebhar-Friedman, Inc. →
Active · founded 1925
Lebhar-Friedman, Inc.
Rodale, Inc. →
Active · founded 1930
Rodale, Inc.
Zondervan Corporation →
Active · founded 1931
Zondervan Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of HarperCollins Publishers, is one of the largest Christian…
Tamedia AG →
Active · founded 1933 · Switzerland
Tamedia AG is Switzerland's second largest media and publishing group.
Johnson Publishing Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1942
Johnson Publishing Company, Inc., is the world's largest African American-owned publishing company.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH →
Active · founded 1949 · Germany
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH publishes the German daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung--FAZ for short.
Harlequin Enterprises Limited →
Active · founded 1949 · Canada
Harlequin Enterprises Limited is the world's largest publisher of romance fiction, a market segment reckoned to account…
Harry N. Abrams, Inc. →
Active · founded 1949
Harry N.
The Humane Society of the United States →
Active · founded 1954
The Humane Society of the United States (The HSUS) is the largest animal protection organization in the world, with…
Central Garden & Pet Company →
Active · founded 1955
From its position as the largest distributor of lawn and garden and pet supplies in the United States in the late…
Haynes Publishing Group P.L.C. →
Active · founded 1960 · United Kingdom
Haynes Publishing Group P.L.C.
Sanrio Company, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1960 · Japan
Japan's Sanrio Company, Ltd.
Bobit Publishing Company →
Active · founded 1961
Bobit Publishing Company is a privately-held publisher of more than 20 business-to-business periodicals.
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. →
Active · founded 1962
While Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Quebecor Inc. →
Active · founded 1965 · Canada
Quebecor Inc.
Workman Publishing Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
Workman Publishing Company, Inc., is a leading independent publisher of non-fiction books, games, and calendars.
Morris Communications Corporation →
Active · founded 1970
Morris Communications Corporation (MCC) is a mid-sized media company with holdings in diverse media.
PCM Uitgevers NV →
Active · founded 1970 · The Netherlands
PCM Uitgevers NV is one of the Netherland's leading newspaper and publishing groups.
Nolo.com, Inc. →
Active · founded 1971
Nolo.com, Inc.
Viacom Inc. →
Active · founded 1971
One of the largest media companies in the world, Viacom Inc.
M. Shanken Communications, Inc. →
Active · founded 1972
M.
Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd. →
Active · founded 1973 · Australia
Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd.
Virgin Group →
Active · founded 1973 · United Kingdom
Virgin Group is a diversified grouping of more than 200 privately held companies.
DeLorme Publishing Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1976
DeLorme Publishing Company, Inc.
Health Communications, Inc. →
Active · founded 1977
Health Communications, Inc.
The Thomson Corporation →
Active · founded 1977 · Canada
As it prepares to enter the 21st century, The Thomson Corporation is completing its transformation from a media,…
Emmis Communications Corporation →
Active · founded 1980
Emmis Communications Corporation is a diversified media company with interests in radio, television, and publishing.
Microsoft Corporation →
Active · founded 1981
With annual revenues of more than $32 billion, Microsoft Corporation is more than the largest software company in the…
Advanced Marketing Services, Inc. →
Active · founded 1982
Advanced Marketing Services, Inc.
Jordan Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1988
Jordan Industries, Inc.
Onion, Inc. →
Active · founded 1988
Onion, Inc.
PMP Ltd. →
Active · founded 1991 · Australia
PMP Ltd.
Affinity Group Holding Inc. →
Active · founded 1992
Affinity Group Holding Company is the parent company of several businesses, including Affinity Group, Inc.
Information Holdings Inc. →
Active · founded 1996
Information Holdings Inc.
SanomaWSOY Corporation →
Active · founded 1999 · Finland
Finland's SanomaWSOY Corporation leapt onto the broader European media scene with the 2001 acquisition of VNU's…
AOL Time Warner Inc. →
Active · founded 2001
Global media powerhouse AOL Time Warner Inc.
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