Little, Brown and Company
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 1837 in Boston, United States |
| Founder | Charles Coffin Little, James Brown |
| Fate | Acquired by Hachette Book Group |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Area served | United States, United Kingdom |
Key people | Sally Kim (President and Publisher, 2024), Bruce Nichols (former Publisher), Michael Pietsch (former Publisher) |
| Products | Books (fiction and nonfiction) |
| Owner | Hachette Livre (via Hachette Book Group) |
| Parent | Hachette Book Group USA |
| Website | www |
Little, Brown and Company is a publishing house based in the United States, established in 1837 by Charles Coffin Little and James Brown in Boston. For almost 200 years, it has released both fiction and nonfiction works by American writers, including early publications such as the poetry of Emily Dickinson and Bartlett's Familiar Quotations. Since 2006, Little, Brown has functioned as a division under the Hachette Book Group.
19th century
Originating as a partnership aimed at "Publishing, Importing, and Selling Books," Little, Brown began its operations in Boston with historical ties to an 1784 bookstore owned by Ebenezer Battelle. The firm focused on legal publications and importing essential titles, becoming the foremost U.S. publisher of legal materials and importer of authoritative English legal references like the Encyclopædia Britannica and dictionaries authored by William Smith. Early releases included works by figures such as Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and distinguished historians including George Bancroft.
Starting in 1845, Little, Brown served as the original publisher of the United States Statutes at Large under congressional authorization until 1874, when the Government Printing Office took over. These editions continue to hold official legal status as evidence of U.S. laws and treaties.
In 1853, the company ventured into British poetry, issuing ninety-six volumes spanning authors from Chaucer to Wordsworth within five years. The partnership expanded in 1859 when John Bartlett joined, bringing with him the rights to Familiar Quotations, which Little, Brown published through many editions, including the 15th edition released in 1980.
By the 1890s, Little, Brown diversified into general and fiction publishing, releasing notable titles such as Quo Vadis in 1896. The acquisition of titles from the Roberts Brothers in 1898 further extended its market reach. Prominent figures during this period included John Murray Brown as well as employees like Charles Carroll Soule.
20th century
After John Murray Brown passed away in 1908, James W. McIntyre assumed the role of managing partner until his death in 1913, after which Little, Brown became incorporated. In 1925, the company secured a long-standing publishing contract with Atlantic Monthly, which lasted until 1985. This collaboration produced influential works such as All Quiet on the Western Front, Herge's The Adventures of Tintin, James Truslow Adams's The Adams Family, Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall's Mutiny on the Bounty, James Hilton's Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Walter D. Edmonds's Drums Along the Mohawk, William Least Heat-Moon's Blue Highways, Tracy Kidder's The Soul of a New Machine, and J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. Although Salinger terminated his contract during the 1970s, his novel remained under Little, Brown's imprint.
Throughout the twentieth century and into the early twenty-first century, Little, Brown published works by distinguished authors including Nagaru Tanigawa, Donald Barthelme, Louisa M. Alcott, Bernie Brillstein, Bruce Catton, A. J. Cronin, Malcolm Gladwell, Henry Kissinger, Nelson Mandela, Stephenie Meyer, David Sedaris, Gore Vidal, and James Patterson. The company also issued photographic collections by Ansel Adams.
Regarding corporate development and acquisitions, Little, Brown was purchased by Time Inc. in 1968 and expanded its offerings through acquiring medical publisher College Hill Press in 1986. Following Time’s merger with Warner Communications in 1989, it became part of the Time Warner Book Group. In 2001, editorial functions were relocated from Boston to Time Warner’s headquarters in New York City to integrate more closely with its global publishing operations.
21st century
Michael Pietsch assumed the role of publisher at Little, Brown in 2001.
The company's expansion into the United Kingdom occurred in 1992 when TWBG purchased MacDonald & Co from Maxwell Communications. This acquisition incorporated the Abacus imprint, known for its upscale paperback editions, and Orbit, specializing in science fiction, featuring authors such as Iain Banks. In 1996, the feminist-focused publisher Virago Press became part of the group. That same year, Wolters Kluwer acquired Little, Brown's legal and medical publishing sectors, merging them with its Aspen and Lippincott-Raven imprints.
In 2006, French publishing house Hachette Livre acquired Time Warner Book Group, placing Little, Brown under the Hachette Book Group USA umbrella.
Little, Brown introduced the suspense-focused imprint Mulholland Books in 2011. Following Pietsch's promotion to CEO of Hachette Book Group in 2013, Reagan Arthur was named publisher of Little, Brown.
October 2017 marked the launch of an imprint dedicated to health, lifestyle, psychology, and science led by Tracy Behar. This imprint was officially named Little, Brown Spark in late 2018 and has since published notable authors including Mark Hyman, Tricia Hersey, and Sue Johnson.
In October 2018, Little, Brown revealed plans for an illustrated books imprint with Michael Szczerban appointed as vice president and editorial director. Voracious debuted in fall 2019 with works by authors such as Accidentally Wes Anderson, Ayesha Curry, Vivian Howard, Christopher Kimball's Milk Street, Marcus Samuelsson, and Pete Souza.
In February 2020, Hachette Book Group expanded Little, Brown Books for Young Readers by acquiring over 1,000 titles from Disney Book Group.
Bruce Nichols took over as publisher of Little, Brown's adult imprints in May 2020. In March 2024, Sally Kim replaced Nichols as president and publisher, arriving from G.P. Putnam's Sons.
See also
- Badminton Library
- Books in the United States
- List of largest UK book publishers
- Little, Brown Book Group
Further reading
- Little, Brown and Company, One Hundred Years of Publishing, 1837-1937. Boston, MA: Little, Brown & Co.