Grolier
Encyclopedia
Grolier was one of the largest U.S. 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 The Electronic Encyclopedia (1986–2003).
Grolier was an educational publishing company known for its presence in school libraries. It had a strong presence among the under-six demographic, the target of Grolier's direct mail-to-the-home business.
Grolier became part of the Scholastic Group in June 2000, which maintains Grolier Online.
(1863–1923) was the founder of encyclopedia publisher Grolier, Inc., and he was 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,
Jackson had founded the Grolier Society, which specialized in making 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 named after a well-known French bibliophile, Jean Grolier de Servières.
After the split with Hooper he acquired the rights to publish the British The Children's Encyclopaedia
under the name Book of Knowledge
.
Grolier, Inc. subsequently became a large publisher of general encyclopaedias, including The Book of Knowledge
(1910), The New Book of Knowledge (1966), the Encyclopedia Americana
(1945), the Academic American Encyclopedia
(1980), The New Grolier Electronic Encyclopedia (1985 CD-ROM), and the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia (1995).
Grolier had a US$100 million international business, primarily located in the UK, Canada
and Asia
. It had 1999 revenues of $450 million and earnings of approximately $45 million, with $4.5 million in Internet revenues.
In 1988 Grolier was purchased by the French media company Hachette
, which owned a well-known French-language encyclopedia, the Hachette Encyclopedia. Hachette was later absorbed by the French conglomerate the Lagardère Group
. Following the acquisition, Grolier moved its operations to Danbury, Connecticut
.
The acquisition of Grolier by Scholastic for USD $400 million took place in 2000. The new owners projected a 30% increase in operating income, although historically Grolier had experienced earnings of 7% to 8% on income.
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.
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 Grolier Online.
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. The editions were updated quarterly—a rated which outpaced the print edition. Eventually the CD-ROM edition differentiated completely 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). The 1990 edition was the first to feature pictures, and the 1992 edition was the first to deliver video and sound. The last CD-ROM edition published was the 2003 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia.
, Windows, Macintosh
and the PlayStation
.
The video games they released include:
Grolier Interactive stopped releasing video games when Grolier was bought by Scholastic.
The Children's Encyclopedia
The Children's Encyclopædia was an encyclopædia originated by Arthur Mee, and published by the Educational Book Company, a subsidiary of Amalgamated Press of London. It was published from 1908 to 1964. Walter M. Jackson's company Grolier acquired the rights to publish it in the U.S...
(1910), The New Book of Knowledge (1966), The New Book of Popular Science (1972), Encyclopedia Americana
Encyclopedia Americana
Encyclopedia Americana is one of the largest general encyclopedias in the English language. Following the acquisition of Grolier in 2000, the encyclopedia has been produced by Scholastic....
(1945), Academic American Encyclopedia
Academic American Encyclopedia
Academic American Encyclopedia is a 21-volume general English-language encyclopedia published in 1980. It was first produced by Arête Publishing, the American subsidiary of the Dutch publishing company VNU ....
(1980), and numerous incarnations of The Electronic Encyclopedia (1986–2003).
Grolier was an educational publishing company known for its presence in school libraries. It had a strong presence among the under-six demographic, the target of Grolier's direct mail-to-the-home business.
Grolier became part of the Scholastic Group in June 2000, which maintains Grolier Online.
History
Walter M. JacksonWalter Montgomery Jackson
Walter Montgomery Jackson was the founder of encyclopedia publisher Grolier, Inc., and he was the partner of Horace Everett Hooper in publishing the 10th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica and in developing its 11th edition...
(1863–1923) was the founder of encyclopedia publisher Grolier, Inc., and he was the partner of Horace Everett Hooper
Horace Everett Hooper
Horace Everett Hooper was the publisher of Encyclopædia Britannica from 1897 until his death.-Early life:...
in publishing the 10th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica
Encyclopædia Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
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,
Jackson had founded the Grolier Society, which specialized in making extra-fine editions of classics and rare literature. The Society was named after the Grolier Club
Grolier Club
The Grolier Club is a private club and society of bibliophiles in New York City. Founded in January 1884, it is the oldest existing bibliophilic club in North America. The club is named after Jean Grolier de Servières, Viscount d'Aguisy, Treasurer General of France, whose library was famous; his...
, which had been founded in 1884 to advance the arts involved in making books and which was named after a well-known French bibliophile, Jean Grolier de Servières.
After the split with Hooper he acquired the rights to publish the British The Children's Encyclopaedia
The Children's Encyclopedia
The Children's Encyclopædia was an encyclopædia originated by Arthur Mee, and published by the Educational Book Company, a subsidiary of Amalgamated Press of London. It was published from 1908 to 1964. Walter M. Jackson's company Grolier acquired the rights to publish it in the U.S...
under the name Book of Knowledge
The Children's Encyclopedia
The Children's Encyclopædia was an encyclopædia originated by Arthur Mee, and published by the Educational Book Company, a subsidiary of Amalgamated Press of London. It was published from 1908 to 1964. Walter M. Jackson's company Grolier acquired the rights to publish it in the U.S...
.
Grolier, Inc. subsequently became a large publisher of general encyclopaedias, including The Book of Knowledge
The Children's Encyclopedia
The Children's Encyclopædia was an encyclopædia originated by Arthur Mee, and published by the Educational Book Company, a subsidiary of Amalgamated Press of London. It was published from 1908 to 1964. Walter M. Jackson's company Grolier acquired the rights to publish it in the U.S...
(1910), The New Book of Knowledge (1966), the Encyclopedia Americana
Encyclopedia Americana
Encyclopedia Americana is one of the largest general encyclopedias in the English language. Following the acquisition of Grolier in 2000, the encyclopedia has been produced by Scholastic....
(1945), the Academic American Encyclopedia
Academic American Encyclopedia
Academic American Encyclopedia is a 21-volume general English-language encyclopedia published in 1980. It was first produced by Arête Publishing, the American subsidiary of the Dutch publishing company VNU ....
(1980), The New Grolier Electronic Encyclopedia (1985 CD-ROM), and the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia (1995).
Grolier had a US$100 million international business, primarily located in the UK, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. It had 1999 revenues of $450 million and earnings of approximately $45 million, with $4.5 million in Internet revenues.
In 1988 Grolier was purchased by the French media company Hachette
Hachette (publishing)
Hachette Livre, , is a French publisher, the flagship imprint of Lagardère Publishing. It was founded in 1826 by Louis Hachette as a bookshop and publishing company. Hachette has its headquarters in the 15th arrondissement of Paris....
, which owned a well-known French-language encyclopedia, the Hachette Encyclopedia. Hachette was later absorbed by the French conglomerate the Lagardère Group
Lagardère Group
Lagardère is a French-based multinational conglomerate headquartered in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The group once covered a broad range of industries but is now largely focused on the media sector, in which it is one of the world’s leading companies...
. Following the acquisition, Grolier moved its operations to Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury is a city in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It had population at the 2010 census of 80,893. Danbury is the fourth largest city in Fairfield County and is the seventh largest city in Connecticut....
.
The acquisition of Grolier by Scholastic for USD $400 million took place in 2000. The new owners projected a 30% increase in operating income, although historically Grolier had experienced earnings of 7% to 8% on income.
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.
Scholastic, which specializes in works for the K-8 market (Kindergarten-to-8th grade), has sought to position the Encyclopedia Americana
Encyclopedia Americana
Encyclopedia Americana is one of the largest general encyclopedias in the English language. Following the acquisition of Grolier in 2000, the encyclopedia has been produced by Scholastic....
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 Grolier Online.
Grolier on CD-ROM
Grolier's first CD-ROMCD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
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
Academic American Encyclopedia
Academic American Encyclopedia is a 21-volume general English-language encyclopedia published in 1980. It was first produced by Arête Publishing, the American subsidiary of the Dutch publishing company VNU ....
, which comprised 30,000 entries and 9 million words. The editions were updated quarterly—a rated which outpaced the print edition. Eventually the CD-ROM edition differentiated completely 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). The 1990 edition was the first to feature pictures, and the 1992 edition was the first to deliver video and sound. The last CD-ROM edition published was the 2003 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia.
Video games
In 1982 Grolier formed a subsidiary called Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc. Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc was renamed Grolier Interactive Inc in February 1996. They made video games for DOSDOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
, Windows, Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
and the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
.
The video games they released include:
| Name | Platform(s) | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Wyatt Earp's Old West Wyatt Earp's Old West Wyatt Earp's Old West is a computer game developed by Grolier Electronic Publishing in 1994 for the IBM PC.-Plot:Wyatt Earp's Old West is an educational game within a multimedia encyclopedia. The package includes a “Shootout” game which is a stand-up arcade shooter... |
Windows, Macintosh | October 1994 |
| Golden Gate Killer Golden Gate Killer Golden Gate Killer is an interactive police detective simulation developed and produced by Interworks and released in 1995, and published by Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc... |
Windows, Macintosh | 1995 |
| Terror TRAX: Track Of The Vampire | DOS | 1995 |
| SFPD Homicide Case File: The Body in the Bay | Windows | 1995 |
| Greg Norman Ultimate Challenge Golf | Windows | January 31, 1996 |
| Time Warriors | 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 Asghan: The Dragon Slayer Asghan: The Dragon Slayer is a fantasy-themed hack-and-slash action role-playing computer game developed by Silmarils and released in December 1998. Players take on the persona of Asghan, a warrior prince who swears to avenge the death of his father by dragons. The game is praised for smooth... |
Windows | December 1998 |
| Tank Racer Tank Racer Tank Racer is a 3D action racing computer and video game by Focus Multimedia Ltd, Grolier Interactive and Glass Ghost, copyrighted in 1998 and released on March 26th 1999.- Single Player Mode :... |
Windows, PlayStation | March 26, 1999 |
Grolier Interactive stopped releasing video games when Grolier was bought by Scholastic.