COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 2731

Book Publishing and Printing

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

87companies1786–2001founding years87still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedHer Majesty's Stationery Office
1786
FoundedMerriam-Webster Inc.
1831
FoundedJustin Industries, Inc.
1879
FoundedThe Sierra Club
1892
FoundedThomas Publishing Company
1898
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedWestern Publishing Group, Inc.
1910
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedWorld Book, Inc.
1917
FoundedSimon & Schuster Inc.
1924
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedZondervan Corporation
1931
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedFarrar, Straus and Giroux Inc.
1946
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedThe Humane Society of the United States
1954
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedBobit Publishing Company
1961
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedMorris Communications Corporation
1970
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
FoundedM. Shanken Communications, Inc.
1972
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.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedAdvanced Marketing Services, Inc.
1982
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.
FoundedThe L.L. Knickerbocker Co., Inc.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
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

Her Majesty's Stationery Office →
Active · founded 1786 · United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Stationery Office, or HMSO, is an unusual type of company that, although owned and operated by the…
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.
HarperCollins Publishers →
Active · founded 1817
For nearly 170 years the Harper name has been synonymous with the printed word, having cradled American publishing from…
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.
Bertelsmann AG →
Active · founded 1835 · Germany
Bertelsmann AG is the largest media group in Germany and Europe, and the second-largest in the world to the U.S.-based…
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.
The Chronicle Publishing Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1865
Publisher of The San Francisco Chronicle, The Chronicle Publishing Company, Inc.
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…
Justin Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1879
Justin Industries, Inc.
West Group →
Active · founded 1882
West Group, the leading information provider to the U.S.
The Times Mirror Company →
Active · founded 1884
The Times Mirror Company ranks among the top five newspaper companies in the United States.
National Geographic Society →
Active · founded 1888
Founded as a club of distinguished gentlemen devoted to promoting the study of geography, the National Geographic…
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. →
Active · founded 1889
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
The Sierra Club →
Active · founded 1892
The Sierra Club occupies a unique place in American culture.
Waverly, Inc. →
Active · founded 1892
Waverly, Inc.
Ravensburger AG →
Active · founded 1893 · Germany
Ravensburger AG is a publisher based in Ravensburg, Germany, that educates and entertains the whole family with its…
Macmillan, Inc. →
Active · founded 1896
Macmillan has been a distinguished name in publishing for more than 150 years.
Insilco Corporation →
Active · founded 1898
Formerly the largest silver company in the world, Insilco Corporation is no longer involved in the silver business, but…
Thomas Publishing Company →
Active · founded 1898
Celebrating its centennial in 1998, Thomas Publishing Company is a niche reference book publisher dedicated to…
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. →
Active · founded 1904
Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Groupe Les Echos →
Active · founded 1908 · France
A member of British media giant the Pearson Group since 1988, Groupe Les Echos is among France's leading financial and…
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.
Western Publishing Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1910
Western Publishing Group, Inc.
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.
World Book, Inc. →
Active · founded 1917
World Book, Inc.
Harcourt Brace and Co. →
Active · founded 1919
Harcourt Brace and Co.
Harcourt General, Inc. →
Active · founded 1919
Through its core publishing arm, Harcourt General, Inc.
The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. →
Active · founded 1922
The Reader's Digest Association, Inc.
Simon & Schuster Inc. →
Active · founded 1924
Simon & Schuster Inc.
Lebhar-Friedman, Inc. →
Active · founded 1925
Lebhar-Friedman, Inc.
Ziff Communications Company →
Active · founded 1927
Ziff Communications Company was a major force in American magazine publishing for more than 65 years.
The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. →
Active · founded 1929
The Bureau of National Affairs, 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.
Grolier Inc. →
Active · founded 1936
Grolier Inc.
El Corte Inglés Group →
Active · founded 1940 · Spain
El Corte Inglés, S.A.
Johnson Publishing Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1942
Johnson Publishing Company, Inc., is the world's largest African American-owned publishing company.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux Inc. →
Active · founded 1946
Farrar, Straus and Giroux Inc.
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.
Petersen Publishing Company →
Active · founded 1949
A rising force in the publishing industry, Petersen Publishing Company publishes a host of monthly, bimonthly,…
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…
Tatung Co. →
Active · founded 1957 · Taiwan
With ten domestic plants and nearly 20,000 employees, Tatung Co.
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.
International Data Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1964
Over the course of some 30 years, Patrick J.
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.
Dorling Kindersley Holdings plc →
Active · founded 1974 · United Kingdom
For nearly a quarter-century, Dorling Kindersley Holdings plc (DK) has focused on creating an enduring catalog of over…
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.
Tom Doherty Associates Inc. →
Active · founded 1980
Tom Doherty Associates Inc.
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.
Cadmus Communications Corporation →
Active · founded 1984
Cadmus Communications Corporation was named after the Greek mythological figure who founded Thebes and introduced the…
Axel Springer Verlag AG →
Active · founded 1985 · Germany
Over the course of its more than 50 years in business, Axel Springer Verlag AG has evolved from a publisher of local…
Bloomberg L.P. →
Active · founded 1986
Bloomberg L.P.
Jordan Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1988
Jordan Industries, Inc.
Onion, Inc. →
Active · founded 1988
Onion, Inc.
Primedia Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Primedia Inc.
IDG Books Worldwide, Inc. →
Active · founded 1990
The fastest growing computer book publisher of the 1990s, IDG Books Worldwide, 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.
The L.L. Knickerbocker Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1993 · www.knickerbocker.com
L.L.
Information Holdings Inc. →
Active · founded 1996
Information Holdings Inc.
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, L.L.C. →
Active · founded 1997
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, L.L.C.
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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