DK (publisher): Difference between revisions

{{shortShort description|British publisher of general reference and illustrated non-fiction books}}

| founded = {{start date and age|1974}}<br />[[London]], [[England]], U.K.

| founders = [[Christopher Dorling]]<br />[[Peter Kindersley]]

| headquarters = [[Shell Mex House|80 Strand]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dk.com/uk/|title=DK UK|website=dkbooks}}</ref><br />[[London]], England, U.K.

| keypeople = Paul Kelly

| imprints = Alpha, DK Eyewitness Travel, DK Children’s, DK Adult, DK Licensing, DK Learning, Phonic Books, Rebel Girls

| numemployees = 750

'''DKDorling Kindersley Limited''', formerly known(branded as '''Dorling KindersleyDK''',) is a British multinational [[publishing]] company specialising in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 63 [[languages]].<ref name="about">{{cite web|url=https://www.dk.com/uk/information/about-dk/|title=About DK|website=dkbooks}}</ref>

Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including [[Eyewitness Travel Guides|DK Eyewitness travelTravel]]), history, geography, science, space, nature, sportsports, gardening, cookery, parenting and parentingmany others.

The worldwide CEO of DK is CarstenPaul CoesfeldKelly.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=3689#m47682|title=Carsten Coesfeld New DK CEO|website=www.shelf-awareness.com|access-date=2020-05-14}}</ref> DK has offices in New York, Melbourne, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto, Madrid, Beijing, and Jiangmen.

DK works with licensing partners to publish books such as [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]], [[Lego|LEGO]], [[Star Wars]], [[DC Comics]], the [[Royal Horticultural Society]], [[MasterChef]], and the [[Smithsonian Institution]].

DK has commissioned authors such as [[Mary Berry]], [[Monty Don]], [[Robert Winston]], Huw Richards, and [[Steve Mould]] for a range of books.

[[File:DK logo 2014.svg|150px|thumb|DK logoLogo, 2014–2020]]

DK was founded in 1974 by [[Christopher Dorling]] and [[Peter Kindersley]] in London, andas ina 1982[[book movedpackaging|book into publishingpackager]].<ref name="about"/> TheIts first book publishedas undera thepublisher DKin namethe UK was a ''First Aid Manual'' for the British voluntary medical services.<ref>British Red Cross Society, St. John Ambulance, St. Andrews Ambulance, ''First Aid Manual'', 1982, {{isbn|0863180019}}</ref> In 1988, DK Inc. published the first Eyewitness book. DK Inc. began publishing in the United States in 1991. That same year, [[Microsoft]] bought a 26 percent stake in DK.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/Thomson_M&A/Microsoft_Corp_acquires_a_minority_stake_in_Dorling_Kindersley_Ltd-196674040 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090803093908/http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/Thomson_M%26A/Microsoft_Corp_acquires_a_minority_stake_in_Dorling_Kindersley_Ltd-196674040 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2009-08-03 |title=Microsoft Corp acquires a minority stake in Dorling Kindersley Ltd |date=1991-03-18 |publisher=[[Thomson Financial]] |access-date=2008-10-30 }}</ref> In 1996, DK hired Neal Porter, Richard Jackson and Melanie Kroupa from [[Orchard Books]] to start the DK Ink imprint, but [[Grolier]] sued the trio.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/25/business/not-the-usual-farewell-editors-quit-and-are-sued.html | title=Not the Usual Farewell: Editors Quit and Are Sued | newspaper=The New York Times | date=25 November 1996 | last1=Mansnerus | first1=Laura }}</ref> DK and Grolier settled the lawsuit.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/19970710/38655-grolier-dk-settle-8-million-tampering-suit.html | title=Grolier, DK Settle $8 Million Tampering Suit }}</ref>

In 1999, itDK overestimated the market for ''[[Star Wars]]'' books and was left with millions of unsold copies, resulting in crippling debt.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/616623.stm |website=www.bbc.co.uk |title=Star Wars book flop hits DK |date=24 January 2000 |publisher=BBC |access-date=17 October 2015 }}</ref> As a direct result, DK was taken over the following year by the [[Pearson plc]] media company and made part of [[Penguin Group]], which also owned the [[Penguin Books]] label.<ref>{{cite news |author=Charles Goldsmith |title=Media Giant Pearson Acquires U.K. Publisher Dorling Kindersley |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB954699553231714048 |access-date=17 October 2015 |work=The Wall Street Journal |publisher=Dow Jones & Company, Inc |date=3 April 2000}}</ref> DK has continued to sell ''Star Wars'' books after the takeover.<ref>{{citation|title=Cover Stories: Political memoirs; the environmental Bible; Dorling Kindersley|work=[[The Independent]]|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/cover-stories-political-memoirs-the-environmental-bible-dorling-kindersley-828940.html|author=The Literator|date=16 May 2008}}</ref>

BradyGames was a publishing company in the United States operating as a DK [[imprint (trade name)|imprint]], which specializes in [[video game]] [[strategy guides]], covering multiple [[Video game console|video game platforms]]. It published its first strategy guide in November 1993 as a division of [[Macmillan Publishers (United States)|MacMillan Computer Publishing]]. In 1998, [[Simon & Schuster]] (which acquired Macmillan in 1994) divested BradyGames as part of its educational division to [[Pearson plc]].<ref>{{cite webnews|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/04/business/pearson-revises-simon-schuster-deal.html|title=Pearson Revises Simon & Schuster Deal|newspaper=The New York Times|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=4 July 1998|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> BradyGames has grown to publish roughly 90-100 guides per year.

On 1 June 2015, BradyGames merged with [[Prima Games]], and future strategy guides made by the publishing company were published under the Prima Games label,<ref>{{Cite web|title = Two big video game strategy guide makers become one|url = http://www.polygon.com/2015/6/1/8700953/prima-games-and-bradygames-merger|website = Polygon|date = June 2015|access-date = 2015-06-02}}</ref> which was sold to Asteri Holdings in 2019.

* [{{official|https://www.dk.com/ DK website]}}

[[Category:TravelBook guide bookspackagers]]

[[Category:KindersleyTravel familyguide books]]