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DK (publisher)

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"Dorling Kindersley" redirects here. For other uses, seeDK.

DK
Parent companyPenguin Random House
Founded1974;50 years ago(1974)
London,England,U.K.
FoundersChristopher Dorling
Peter Kindersley
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Headquarters location80 Strand[1]
London,England, U.K.
Key peoplePaul Kelly
ImprintsAlpha, DK Eyewitness Travel, DK Children’s, DK Adult, DK Licensing, DK Learning, Phonic Books, Rebel Girls
No.of employees750
Official websitewww.dk.com

Dorling Kindersley Limited(branded asDK) is a British multinationalpublishingcompany specialising in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 63languages.[2] It is part ofPenguin Random House,a subsidiary of German media conglomerateBertelsmann. Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (includingDK Eyewitness Travel), history, geography, science, space, nature, sports, gardening, cookery, parenting and many others. The worldwide CEO of DK is Paul Kelly. DK has offices in New York, Melbourne, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto, Madrid, Beijing, and Jiangmen. DK works with licensing partners such asDisney,LEGO,DC Comics,theRoyal Horticultural Society,MasterChef,and theSmithsonian Institution. DK has commissioned authors such asMary Berry,Monty Don,Robert Winston,Huw Richards, andSteve Mouldfor a range of books.

History[edit]

DK logo, 2014–2020

DK was founded in 1974 byChristopher DorlingandPeter Kindersleyin London as abook packager.Its first book as a publisher in the UK wasFirst Aid Manualfor the British voluntary medical services.[3]In 1988, DK Inc. published the first Eyewitness book. DK Inc. began publishing in the United States in 1991. That same year,Microsoftbought a 26 percent stake in DK.[4]In 1996, DK hired Neal Porter, Richard Jackson and Melanie Kroupa fromOrchard Booksto start the DK Ink imprint, butGroliersued the trio.[5]DK and Grolier settled the lawsuit.[6]

In 1999, DK overestimated the market forStar Warsbooks and was left with millions of unsold copies, resulting in crippling debt.[7]As a direct result, DK was taken over the following year by thePearson plcmedia company and made part ofPenguin Group,which also owned thePenguin Bookslabel.[8]DK has continued to sellStar Warsbooks after the takeover.[9]

In 2013, Bertelsmann and Pearson completed a merger to form Penguin Random House.[10]Bertelsmann owned 53% and Pearson 47% of the company. Penguin's trade publishing activity continued to include DK under the newly formed Penguin Random House.[11] In July 2017, Pearson agreed to sell a 22% stake in the business to Bertelsmann, thereby retaining a 25% holding.[12][13] In December 2019, Bertelsmann agreed to acquire Pearson's 25% in Penguin Random House, and therefore DK, making it a wholly owned subsidiary of Bertelsmann.[14] In 2019, Prima Games was sold to Asteri Holdings.[15]

Publications[edit]

See also:List of publications of Dorling Kindersley

DK publishes a range of titles internationally for adults and children. Most of the company's books are produced by teams of editors, designers and cartographers who work with freelance writers and illustrators. Some are endorsed by "imprimaturs": such as theBritish Medical Association,theRoyal Horticultural Societyand theBritish Red Cross.

BradyGames[edit]

BradyGames was a publishing company in the United States operating as a DKimprint,which specializes in video gamestrategy guides,covering multiplevideo game platforms.It published its first strategy guide in November 1993 as a division ofMacMillan Computer Publishing.In 1998,Simon & Schuster(which acquired Macmillan in 1994) divested BradyGames as part of its educational division toPearson plc.[16]BradyGames has grown to publish roughly 90-100 guides per year.

On 1 June 2015, BradyGames merged withPrima Games,and future strategy guides made by the publishing company were published under the Prima Games label,[17]which was sold to Asteri Holdings in 2019.

Young adult[edit]

DK commenced publishing books aimed at teens with the release ofHeads Up Psychologyin 2014.[18]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"DK UK".dkbooks.
  2. ^"About DK".dkbooks.
  3. ^British Red Cross Society, St. John Ambulance, St. Andrews Ambulance,First Aid Manual,1982,ISBN0863180019
  4. ^"Microsoft Corp acquires a minority stake in Dorling Kindersley Ltd".Thomson Financial.18 March 1991. Archived fromthe originalon 3 August 2009.Retrieved30 October2008.
  5. ^Mansnerus, Laura (25 November 1996)."Not the Usual Farewell: Editors Quit and Are Sued".The New York Times.
  6. ^"Grolier, DK Settle $8 Million Tampering Suit".
  7. ^"Star Wars book flop hits DK".www.bbc.co.uk.BBC. 24 January 2000.Retrieved17 October2015.
  8. ^Charles Goldsmith (3 April 2000)."Media Giant Pearson Acquires U.K. Publisher Dorling Kindersley".The Wall Street Journal.Dow Jones & Company, Inc.Retrieved17 October2015.
  9. ^The Literator (16 May 2008),"Cover Stories: Political memoirs; the environmental Bible; Dorling Kindersley",The Independent
  10. ^Bertelsmann And Pearson Complete Merger To Form Penguin Random House,The Random House Group, 1 July 2013, archived fromthe originalon 24 September 2015,retrieved24 July2014
  11. ^CEO Markus Dohle Announces Penguin Random House Global Leadership Team,Penguin Random House Group, 1 July 2013
  12. ^"Pearson shares hit by Penguin stake sale".11 July 2017.Retrieved9 January2020.
  13. ^Sweney, Mark (11 July 2017)."Pearson sells slice of Penguin for $1bn".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved9 January2020.
  14. ^"BMG Parent Bertelsmann to Acquire Full Stake in Penguin Random House".Billboard.Retrieved9 January2020.
  15. ^"DK Sells Prima Games Digital Assets".Publishers Weekly.Retrieved16 January2020.
  16. ^"Pearson Revises Simon & Schuster Deal".The New York Times.Associated Press.4 July 1998.
  17. ^"Two big video game strategy guide makers become one".Polygon.June 2015.Retrieved2 June2015.
  18. ^Sally Lodge (29 April 2014)."DK Enters the Teen Market with Nonfiction Line".www.publishersweekly.com.PWxyz LLC.Retrieved17 October2015.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toDorling Kindersley.
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