Publishing History > Publishers
Book publishing in the modern sense began with the arrival of the movable-type printing press in China in about 1040 AD and in Germany in about 1450.
The printing press later spread across the world which led to a huge spread of literature throughout Europe and other parts of the world. It also helped foster the development of the Renaissance, Reformation and humanist movements.
Early publishers included the Aldine Press in Italy and the House of Elzevir in the Netherlands. With the rise of the British Empire publishers in the United Kingdom such as Macmillan, William Collins, Thomas Nelson, Longman and Penguin rose to prominence and with the coming of the American century publishers in the United States such as Harper, Appleton, Doubleday and Knopf became important players.
This website tells the story of these publishers along with the story of many others from dozens of countries.