A & C Black facts for kids

A & C Black is a British company that publishes books. It has been owned by Bloomsbury Publishing since 2002. This company is famous for publishing Who's Who since 1849. They also published the Encyclopædia Britannica for many years, from 1827 to 1903. A & C Black offers many different kinds of books. These include fiction (story books) and nonfiction (fact books). They have also published popular travel guides, novels, and science books.

History of A & C Black

A map of Africa from 1840, published by Adam and Charles Black.

The cover page of Woodstock from 1863. This book by Sir Walter Scott was published by Adam and Charles Black.

The company was started in 1807 by Charles and Adam Black. They began their business in Edinburgh, a city in Scotland. In 1851, the company bought the rights to publish Sir Walter Scott's Waverly novels. This cost them a lot of money, about £27,000. Later, in 1889, the company moved its main office to the Soho area of London.

Publishing the Encyclopædia Britannica

From 1827 to 1903, A & C Black published the seventh, eighth, and ninth editions of the Encyclopædia Britannica. They bought the rights to publish this huge encyclopedia from another company. That company, Archibald Constable, could not finish publishing the seventh edition. Adam Black stopped working in 1870. He did not agree with his sons' big plans for the ninth edition. However, this ninth edition was very successful. It sold half a million sets and came out in 24 volumes between 1875 and 1889.

Other Famous Publications

Starting in 1839, the company began publishing a series of travel guides. These guides were known as Black's Guides. A & C Black has also published the yearly Who's Who since 1849. This book lists important people and their achievements. Since 2002, they have also published Whitaker's Almanack, which is full of facts and figures. Other well-known books include Black's Medical Dictionary. They also published the Know The Game series. These books explain the rules and laws of different sports.

The company also created the A. & C. Black Colour Books: Twenty Shilling Series. These were high-quality picture books published from 1901 to 1921. People who love books still collect them today. In 1902, A & C Black published The Pothunters. This was the first book by the famous author P. G. Wodehouse. They went on to publish many of his early works.

Company Changes and Acquisitions

In 1989, A & C Black bought Christopher Helm Publishers. They also bought Pica Press later on. These companies published the Helm Identification Guides, which are books about identifying birds. In 2000, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc bought A & C Black. Bloomsbury continued to produce the reference books that A & C Black was known for.

In June 2002, A & C Black bought T. & A. D. Poyser. This added about 70 books about ornithology (the study of birds) to their list. In 2006, A & C Black bought Methuen Drama from Methuen Publishing. They also bought Arden Shakespeare from Cengage Learning in 2008. In 2016, the music books published by A & C Black moved to Collins Learning. This is a part of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

Notable books

World maps from A & C Black's 1854 General Atlas Of The World.

A & C Black has published many important and well-known books. Here are some of them:

• Black's Medical Dictionary
• Whitaker's Almanack
• Who's Who
• Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
• Writers' & Artists' Yearbook

Book series

A & C Black has published many different book series over the years. These series cover a wide range of topics, from travel to history and nature.

• Black's Atlas of North America, 1856
• Artist's Sketch Book Series
• Ballet Pocket Series (Newman Wolsey; then: A. & C. Black)
• Black's Guides
• Black's Junior Reference Books
• Black's Novel Library
• Black's Popular Series of Colour Books
• Black's School History
• Black's "Water-colour" series
• Colour Books: The 7s. 6d. Net Series
• Colour Books: The 6s. Net Series
• Colour Books: The 10s. Net Series
• Colour Books: The 20s. Net Series
• Dancers of To-day
• Ecclesiastical History of England (General Editor: J. C. Dickinson)
• The Fascination of London
• Guild Text-books
• How-and-Why Series
• Know the Game
• The Making of the Nations
• Peeps at Ancient Civilisations
• Peeps at Great Cities
• Peeps at Great Explorers
• Peeps at Great Men
• Peeps at Great Railways
• Peeps at History
• Peeps at Industries
• Peeps at Many Lands
• Peeps at Nature
• Peeps at Nature for Little Children
• Peeps for Little People
• The Peeps Series (sometimes called: Miscellaneous Peeps series)
• Social Life in England

Imprints

An imprint is a brand name used by a publisher. A & C Black has had several imprints under its name.

• Adlard Coles Nautical
• Arden Shakespeare
• Andrew Brodie Publications
• Featherstone
• Methuen Drama
• T. & A. D. Poyser
• Reeds Almanac
• John Wisden & Co