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Grolier
Grolier
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Grolier is one of the largest American publishers of general encyclopedias, including The Book of Knowledge (1910), The New Book of Knowledge (1966), The New Book of Popular Science (1972), Encyclopedia Americana (1945), Academic American Encyclopedia (1980), and numerous incarnations of a CD-ROM encyclopedia (1986–2003).

Key Information

As an educational publishing company[1] Grolier was known for its presence in school libraries and its in-home encyclopedia sales. It also had a strong presence among parents of children under six years old, the market for Grolier's direct mail-to-the-home business.[2]

In June 2000, Grolier became part of Scholastic Corporation, which now maintains Scholastic GO, formerly Grolier Online. Since 2007, the Grolier imprint Orchard Books has published the Rainbow Magic and Beast Quest series in the United Kingdom.

History

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The company that became encyclopedia publisher Grolier Incorporated was founded by Walter M. Jackson (1863–1923) as the Grolier Society.[3][4] Jackson had been the partner of Horace Everett Hooper in publishing the 10th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica and in developing its 11th edition. He split with Hooper in 1908–1909 in a nasty legal fight after failing to wrest control of the Britannica from Hooper.[5]

The Grolier Society specialized in publishing extra-fine editions of classics and rare literature. The Society was named after the Grolier Club, which had been founded in 1884 to advance the arts involved in making books and which was itself named after a well-known French bibliophile, Jean Grolier de Servières.

In 1910, Jackson purchased the rights to publish the British The Children's Encyclopædia under the name The Book of Knowledge.

In 1936, the company was acquired by its senior sales executive, Fred P. Murphy, who had joined the firm in 1912.[6] Grolier's common stock began trading publicly in 1954, and it was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1965.[7]

Under Murphy's leadership, by the mid-1940s, Grolier became one of the largest publishers of general encyclopedias, including The Book of Knowledge and the Encyclopedia Americana.[8] Grolier also published the Grolier Encyclopedia (based on the Harmsworth's Universal Encyclopedia and the Doubleday's Encyclopedia) (1941),[9] American Peoples Encyclopedia (1962),[10] The New Book of Knowledge (1966), the Academic American Encyclopedia (1980), The New Grolier Electronic Encyclopedia (1985 CD-ROM), and the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia (1995).

Grolier conducted its encyclopedia sales through subsidiaries Americana Corporation; The Grolier Society; Inc.; R.H. Hinckley Company; Spencer International Press, Inc.; and The Richards Company, Inc. Each subsidiary distributed publications as designated by Grolier.[11] Murphy encouraged a productive rivalry among the subsidiaries, giving their executives broad authority and profit-sharing incentives.

In 1959, Murphy hired John G. Ryan, formerly president of competitor P.F. Collier & Son, as president of The Richards Company. By 1968, Richards' sales, distributing the American Peoples Encyclopedia, exceeded that of the other Grolier encyclopedia subsidiaries.[12]

In 1968, Grolier's annual sales were over $181 million,[13] and the company held a 30 percent market share as the leading publisher of encyclopedias in the United States.[14] Grolier also established a successful mail order subsidiary. [15]

In the 1970s, Grolier declined financially. Fred Murphy retired, and the company merged the sales subsidiaries into what became a less profitable unitary sales force. Grolier also made ill-fated investments in non-publishing ventures, including mobile homes.[16] In 1976, Grolier lost $77 million on sales of $247 million. It threatened to file for bankruptcy if its creditors did not agree to restructure its debts.[17] In the 1980s, with its mail order business expanding, Grolier returned to profitability. [18][19]

On August 8, 1986, Grolier announced a joint venture partnership with Hal Roach Studios and Robert Halmi, Inc. (both of these companies were later known as Qintex Entertainment) to set up a joint venture, Grolier Home Video, which was designed to set up adaptations of the Grolier book properties.[20]

In 1988 Grolier was purchased by the French media company Hachette, which owned a well-known French-language encyclopedia, the Hachette Encyclopedia.[21] The sale price was $450 million.[22] Hachette was later absorbed by the French conglomerate, the Lagardère Group.[22]

In 1995, Grolier acquired Children's Press, moving its operations from Chicago to New York City and Danbury, Connecticut.[23]

In 1999, Grolier had revenues of $450 million and earnings of approximately $45 million, with $4.5 million in Internet revenues. It had a US$100 million international business, primarily located in the UK, Canada and Asia.

Grolier was purchased by Scholastic for US$400 million in June 2000.[24] The new owners projected a 30% increase in operating income, although historically Grolier had experienced earnings of 7% to 8% on income.[25]

Staff reductions as a means of controlling costs followed soon thereafter, even while an effort was made to augment the sales force. Cuts occurred every year between 2000 and 2007, leaving a much-depleted work force to carry out the duties of maintaining a large encyclopedia database.[26] Scholastic, which specializes in works for the K-8 market (Kindergarten-to-8th grade), has sought to position the Encyclopedia Americana as a reference resource for schools. It remains to be seen whether that strategy, applied to a venerable upper-level (even adult-level) publication, will work in the long run.

The name Grolier is retained as the Scholastic website Scholastic GO. The company exists as Grolier Incorporated.

Imprints

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Franklin Watts

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Franklin Watts Inc. was formed in 1942. The company was sold to Grolier in 1957. When the namesake founder retired in 1967, he moved to London to start Franklin Watts Ltd. in 1969. Franklin Watts retired again in 1976.

When Grolier acquired Children's Press in 1995, much of Franklin Watts were published under the Children's Press imprint. When Hachette sold Grolier to Scholastic Corporation in 2000, Scholastic took U.S. rights to Children's Press and Franklin Watts as well. The UK branch exists today as an imprint of Hachette UK's Hachette Children's Books.

Orchard Books

[edit]

Orchard Books was founded in 1986 by Grolier as a children's publisher. When editors Neal Porter, Richard Jackson and Melanie Kroupa left Orchard for DK in 1996, Grolier sued the trio.[27] DK and Grolier settled the lawsuit.[28] When Hachette sold Grolier to Scholastic Corporation in 2000, they included the U.S. branch of Orchard Books while retaining the UK branch.

Publications by Orchard UK include the Rainbow Magic and Beast Quest series, as well as titles by Lauren Child, Giles Andreae, Catherine and Laurence Anholt, Cressida Cowell, James Mayhew, Anthony Horowitz, Shoo Rayner, Saviour Pirotta and Michael Lawrence.[29]

Publications by Orchard US include titles by Jenny Nimmo, P. B. Kerr and Patrick Carman.

CD-ROM editions

[edit]

Grolier's first CD-ROM publication was the text-only Academic American Encyclopedia on CD-ROM in 1985, and was one of the first commercial CD-ROM titles. The text was based on the Academic American Encyclopedia, which comprised 30,000 entries and 9 million words.[30] The editions were updated quarterly—a rate which outpaced the print edition. Eventually, the CD-ROM edition was quite different from the print edition.

Grolier published the encyclopedia with numerous name variations: The Electronic Encyclopedia (1986), The Grolier Electronic Encyclopedia (1987), The New Grolier Electronic Encyclopedia (1988–91), The New Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia (1992).[31] The 1990 edition was the first to feature pictures, and the 1992 edition was the first to deliver video and sound.[31] The last CD-ROM edition published was the 2003 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia.

Video games

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In 1982, Grolier formed a subsidiary called Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc. Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc. was renamed Grolier Interactive Inc. in February 1996.[32] They made electronic encyclopedias for the Amiga and video games for MS-DOS, Windows, Mac, and PlayStation.

The video games they released include:[33][34][35]

Name Platform(s) Release date
Wyatt Earp's Old West Windows, Mac October 1994
Golden Gate Killer Windows, Mac 1995
Terror TRAX: Track Of The Vampire MS-DOS 1995
SFPD Homicide Case File: The Body in the Bay Windows 1995
Greg Norman Ultimate Challenge Golf Windows January 31, 1996
Time Warriors MS-DOS, Windows 1997
Banzai Bug Windows 1997
Perfect Assassin Windows, PlayStation November 1997
Xenocracy Windows, PlayStation 1998
V2000 (Also known as Virus 2000) Windows, PlayStation October 1998
Asghan: The Dragon Slayer Windows December 1998
Tank Racer Windows, PlayStation March 26, 1999

Grolier Interactive ceased releasing video games when Grolier was bought by Scholastic.

See also

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References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
Grolier Inc. is an American publishing company specializing in educational materials, encyclopedias, and children's books, founded in 1895 as the Grolier Society by a group of Boston scholars and named after the 16th-century French bibliophile Jean Grolier de Servières. Originally focused on high-quality reference works, it grew into a major international publisher of print and multimedia educational products, including flagship titles like the Encyclopedia Americana and The New Book of Knowledge. By the late 20th century, Grolier adapted to digital formats, launching products such as the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia and contributing to online resources that evolved into Scholastic GO. Incorporated in in 1936 under Fred Murphy, the company acquired the that same year and renamed itself Grolier Incorporated in 1960, expanding into and reference sets amid a postwar boom in educational . The 1970s brought severe financial challenges, including cumulative losses of $160 million from 1973 to 1976—peaking at $77.8 million in 1976—leading to delisting from the and a burden exceeding $220 million, which prompted changes and efforts. Under new president Robert B. Clarke, Grolier stabilized in the through cost-cutting and diversification, achieving $700 million in sales by 1994 as a subsidiary of the French conglomerate Hachette Livre, later absorbed by . In 2000, acquired Grolier from Lagardère for $400 million in cash, integrating its assets to bolster its global educational portfolio and international distribution. Today, as a wholly owned of Scholastic, Grolier continues to operate under the Scholastic umbrella, with its legacy imprints supporting tools and library resources, though print encyclopedias have largely transitioned to online platforms.

Corporate History

Founding and Early Development

The Grolier Society was founded in 1895 by a group of scholars, including Walter M. Jackson, with an initial focus on distributing books through direct mail to reach a broad audience of readers interested in fine and educational materials. The company's flagship product, The Book of Knowledge, was launched in 1910 as a multi-volume children's encyclopedia designed to educate and entertain families, featuring illustrated articles on , history, , and everyday topics to foster learning in the home. Grolier's early relied on subscription-based sales, allowing buyers to purchase volumes over time, often with premium bindings such as leather or cloth covers to attract middle-class households seeking durable, aesthetically pleasing reference sets. In 1936, the company was acquired by Fred P. Murphy, a longtime executive who had joined Grolier in , and incorporated in ; Murphy also acquired the that same year, signaling a transition to more dynamic marketing strategies and setting the stage for future growth in educational publishing.

Expansion and Mid-Century Growth

Following , Grolier expanded its portfolio beyond children's educational materials, broadening its market appeal to a wider audience of scholars and professionals. This built on the success of earlier publications like The Book of Knowledge and the , allowing Grolier to leverage established distribution networks for more sophisticated encyclopedic content. In 1954, Grolier transitioned to a publicly traded company with the initial offering of its , providing capital for growth initiatives. By 1965, the company's shares were listed on the , which facilitated further diversification into various educational and reference publishing segments, including international expansions and new product lines. This public status enabled aggressive investments in sales infrastructure and acquisitions, transforming Grolier into a major player in the reference book industry. A key milestone in this diversification came in 1957 with the acquisition of Franklin Watts, Inc., Grolier's first significant imprint dedicated to children's , enhancing its offerings in illustrated educational books for young readers. By the late , these strategies culminated in peak operations, with annual sales reaching $181 million in 1968, propelled by extensive sales teams that targeted American households and growing international distribution channels in and . This sales model, combined with the popularity of titles like Encyclopedia Americana and The Book of Knowledge, solidified Grolier's dominance in the encyclopedia market during the mid-century boom in educational publishing.

Decline, Acquisitions, and Integration

By the late , after enjoying peak sales during the mid-century expansion, Grolier grappled with severe financial challenges stemming from escalating production costs, market saturation in print encyclopedias, and unsuccessful diversification into non-publishing sectors like mobile homes. The company incurred cumulative losses of nearly $160 million between 1973 and 1976, culminating in a staggering $77.8 million net loss in 1976 on revenues of $247 million. Contributing factors included $25.4 million in special charges for divesting 23 foreign operations and $23.2 million in losses, alongside a 15% drop in U.S. due to high prices and a tarnished industry reputation. These woes led to delisting from the in 1976 and a burden exceeding $220 million, prompting changes and efforts. Under new president Robert B. Clarke, Grolier stabilized in the through cost-cutting and diversification, achieving $700 million in sales by 1994. In response to intensifying competition from dominant players like , Grolier launched the Academic American Encyclopedia in 1980, a 21-volume general reference set designed as a more accessible and contemporary alternative to traditional encyclopedias. Published initially through Publishing in collaboration with Grolier, the work featured over 32,000 entries and 16,000 illustrations, aiming to recapture amid declining demand for older formats. This initiative marked a strategic pivot toward updated content to address consumer preferences for affordability and relevance in a saturated field. The company's woes persisted, leading to its acquisition by French media conglomerate Hachette Livre in for approximately $450 million in a hostile takeover, which introduced European management styles and aggressive cost-cutting measures to stabilize operations. Under Hachette's ownership, Grolier underwent restructuring to streamline its portfolio and reduce overhead, though it continued to face pressures from the shifting landscape. This period of foreign control lasted until 2000, when Hachette sold Grolier to for $400 million, effectively ending its independent operations and integrating its assets into Scholastic's children's educational division. The Scholastic acquisition initiated a phase of consolidation from 2000 to 2007, including staff reductions to achieve operational efficiencies and control costs, with layoffs affecting hundreds of employees as overlapping functions were merged. For instance, early post-acquisition cuts in 2001 eliminated roles in editorial and sales, reflecting broader efforts to align Grolier's reference book expertise with Scholastic's focus on youth-oriented content. These changes positioned the former Grolier imprints under a unified structure, though they signaled the close of an era for the standalone publisher.

Encyclopedias

Grolier's encyclopedias formed the cornerstone of its print publications, targeting educational markets with comprehensive reference works designed for home, school, and library use. These multi-volume sets emphasized accessibility, illustrations, and alignment with curricula, establishing Grolier as a leading provider of reference materials in the 20th century. The Book of Knowledge, first published in 1910 as a 20-volume children's encyclopedia, was adapted from Arthur Mee's British Children's Encyclopaedia and targeted young readers with engaging narratives, colorful illustrations, and study guides to foster self-directed learning. Produced by the Grolier Society, it included sections on history, science, literature, and hobbies, with annual supplements to keep content current. In 1966, it evolved into The New Book of Knowledge following consultations with teachers, curriculum specialists, and librarians to better suit school needs, maintaining its 20-volume format while updating entries for relevance. This revision enhanced its adoption in educational settings, with sales often facilitated through direct mail and library acquisitions. Encyclopedia Americana, acquired by Grolier in 1936, comprised 30 volumes and was positioned as a scholarly offering in-depth articles on , sciences, history, and global affairs. Under Grolier's ownership, it underwent regular revisions to reflect contemporary scholarship, serving as a key resource for academic and public libraries. Its comprehensive scope and authoritative tone made it a staple in institutional collections, with distribution emphasizing subscription sales to schools and libraries. Launched in 1980 with 21 volumes featuring alphabetical organization and over 16,000 illustrations, the Academic American Encyclopedia provided concise, accessible entries suitable for students and general readers. Published initially by and acquired by Grolier in 1982, it included supplementary indexes and visual aids to support classroom use. Subsequent editions incorporated updates to align with evolving educational standards, bolstered by brief supplementary materials from imprints like Children's Press. Across its encyclopedic line, Grolier prioritized periodic revisions to incorporate new research and curricula changes, with sales strategies focusing on representatives, , and direct partnerships with libraries and schools to ensure widespread educational impact. This approach sustained the products' relevance through the late , reaching millions of users via institutional and home purchases.

Trade Books and Imprints

Grolier expanded its portfolio beyond reference works into trade books during the 1970s and 1990s, establishing and acquiring imprints focused on children's and educational publishing to capture a growing segment of the market. By , these imprints collectively held approximately 20% of the U.S. for juvenile and books, enabling diversification into and sales channels. One of the earliest such acquisitions was Franklin Watts, Inc., purchased by Grolier in 1957 as a publisher of children's books. The imprint specialized in illustrated non-fiction titles for middle-grade readers aged 8–12, emphasizing educational content in subjects like science, history, biographies, and social studies to inform and engage young learners. In 1986, Grolier founded Orchard Books as a dedicated children's publisher, targeting a broad range of ages with fiction and illustrated works. The imprint focused on picture books and early chapter books, fostering early literacy through engaging stories and vibrant illustrations. Its UK arm, established under Hachette following Grolier's acquisition, has published popular series such as Rainbow Magic and Beast Quest since 2007, appealing to fantasy-loving young readers. Grolier further bolstered its trade offerings with the 1995 acquisition of Children's Press, a Chicago-based publisher known for accessible educational materials. The imprint produced leveled readers and biographies tailored for through sixth-grade students, covering topics in , , and via series like A True Book and Rookie Books to support classroom and home learning. In the same year, Grolier consolidated Children's Press with Franklin Watts under a unified operation in , streamlining production for these lines.

Digital and Multimedia Products

CD-ROM Editions

Grolier's entry into CD-ROM publishing marked a pivotal shift toward digital reference materials, beginning with the release of the New Grolier Electronic Encyclopedia in 1985. This text-only product, based on the 21-volume Academic American Encyclopedia, was one of the earliest commercial titles, containing over 30,000 entries and 9 million words in a searchable format that allowed users to query content via keywords on systems. Throughout the late and early , Grolier iteratively enhanced its digital offerings to incorporate elements. The edition added still images, expanding the visual scope beyond , while the 1992 launch of the Grolier Encyclopedia introduced clips, audio narrations, and hyperlinks for interconnected navigation across articles. These innovations enabled more engaging explorations of topics, such as historical events or scientific concepts, distinguishing Grolier's products in an . Annual updates ensured content freshness, with revisions to articles and additions of to maintain relevance. To counter competitors like , launched in 1993, Grolier emphasized technical advancements, including optimized search algorithms and integration that leveraged the 's storage capacity for richer educational experiences. However, the rapid proliferation of in the late 1990s eroded demand for , as free online resources offered instantaneous updates without the need for disc purchases or installations. This shift culminated in the discontinuation of Grolier's line after the final 2003 edition of the Grolier Encyclopedia, which included content suitable for multiple reading levels and remained the last major iteration before the company's focus pivoted to platforms.

Video Games

In the mid-1990s, Grolier expanded into interactive entertainment through its subsidiary, originally established as Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc. in 1982 and renamed Grolier Interactive Inc. in February 1996, which developed and published video games alongside . This division marked Grolier's brief venture into narrative-driven gaming, leveraging technology similar to its products for immersive experiences targeted at children and general audiences. Among its key releases, Wyatt Earp’s Old West (1994) was an early adventure simulation game for Windows and Macintosh platforms, where players explored the historical town of Tombstone, Arizona, engaging in educational activities blended with interactive storytelling and simple shooting mechanics. Another prominent title, Perfect Assassin (1997), was an action-adventure game developed for MS-DOS and later ported to PlayStation in 1998, featuring third-person gameplay as a memory-lost assassin navigating espionage and combat across interplanetary settings. Grolier Interactive distributed its titles primarily through PC platforms like Windows and DOS, as well as console partnerships including Sony's PlayStation, emphasizing accessible multimedia formats. Over its active period, the division released around a dozen video games from 1994 to 1999, including edutainment hybrids like Banzai Bug (1997) and more action-oriented entries such as Xenocracy (1998), before winding down operations. The closure of Grolier Interactive's video game production occurred in 2000 following Scholastic Corporation's $400 million acquisition of Grolier Inc. in June of that year, after which resources shifted toward core and publishing.

Legacy and Current Status

Grolier's legacy is rooted in its pioneering role in producing high-quality educational reference materials, including encyclopedias that influenced standards in children's and publishing throughout the . Upon acquisition by Scholastic in 2000, several Grolier imprints were integrated, notably Orchard Books—relaunched under Scholastic in 2007 for children's fiction and picture books—and Franklin Watts, focusing on nonfiction and educational trade books. These imprints continue to support Scholastic's portfolio in library and classroom resources. The transition from print to digital marked a key evolution, with Grolier's reference works adapting to formats. Grolier , launched in the , became the foundation for Scholastic GO!, an web-based database offering over 115,000 curriculum-aligned articles, 1,100 newspapers in 73 languages, interactive maps, videos, and vetted websites for grades 2 through adult. As of 2025, Scholastic GO! remains a core tool, emphasizing reliable content to build and skills. Under Scholastic, Grolier persists as an active brand, particularly in , where it publishes English language learning materials for parents and schools. As of 2025, Grolier hosts educational exhibitions and distributes catalogs, such as the Spring and Fall 2025 editions featuring reinforced library bindings and thematic . Scholastic maintains Grolier's trademarks and leverages its heritage to enhance global educational distribution across over 165 countries.

References

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