Eyewitness: The rise and fall of Dorling Kindersley

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Jacket text for Eyewitness: The rise and fall of Dorling Kindersley

By the close of the last millennium Dorling Kindersley had become one of the most recognisable brands in publishing. Across the range of illustrated household reference titles, from children's books to travel guides, its distinctive look of colourful images cut out against a white background could be seen on bookshelves throughout the country - and indeed the publishing world.

Apart from three minor acquisitions, DK had grown organically over 25 years to be a publicly listed company with a turnover of £200 million, some 1500 employees, publishing arms across the English language markets, a 50-strong international sales force that dealt with more than 400 publishers, a direct selling business with 30,000 independent distributors, and had expanded its skills for delivering handsomely designed reference books into the new media of videos, CD-ROMs and online educational content. Then a series of catastrophic printing decisions brought the company to its knees, and ultimately into the arms of Pearson.

Christopher Davis is uniquely positioned to tell the story of DK's rise and fall. He joined the company at its foundation and in due course became Group Publisher. The narrative he provides is a dual one, encompassing the visionary genius of Peter Kindersley and the publishing revolution he fomented, and charting the remarkable, sometimes precarious, frequently hilarious, roller-coaster ride as the company grew from a handful of people in a studio in South London to a substantial global business.

In the rapidly changing publishing climate of today, this book is also a nostalgic reminder of a time when creativity could flourish unburdened by the shackles of corporate bureaucracy.

Chapter headings for Eyewitness: The rise and fall of Dorling Kindersley

About the author
Author's note

Chapter 1. Bad Night At The Union Hotel
Chapter 2. Spreads On The Bed
Chapter 3. Mistress of Wine
Chapter 4. Ashes and Diamonds
Chapter 5. The Godfathers of East 50th Street
Chapter 6. Management By Hand Grenade
Chapter 7. 9 Henrietta Street
Chapter 8. Sex In The Connaught
Chapter 9. Never Negotiate With A Husky
Chapter 10. Name On The Spine
Chapter 11. Hughes The Money
Chapter 12. Revolution On The Page
Chapter 13. Impressionists in the Men’s Room
Chapter 14. Mammoth Sales
Chapter 15. If You Build It, They Will Come
Chapter 16. Over and Out
Chapter 17. Thanks, Bill
Chapter 18. Home Deliveries
Chapter 19. This Dog's A Runner
Chapter 20. Showing What Others Only Tell
Chapter 21. Publishing Fundamentals
Chapter 22. Click and Point
Chapter 23. The Nun's Tale
Chapter 24. Gandhi in Las Vegas
Chapter 25. 95 Madison Avenue
Chapter 26. Complexity and Commitment
Chapter 27. A Lifetime of Learning
Chapter 28. Enter The Marketing Man
Chapter 29. Bring On The Men In White Coats

Epilogue
Acknowledgments

About Christopher Davis

Christopher Davis has spent more than 40 years in publishing, the majority of them with DK, which he joined as one of the founding members in 1974. Over the years he graduated from Managing Editor to Editorial Director to Publisher and Deputy Chairman. When Pearson acquired the company in 2000 he was retained as Publisher until his retirement in 2005. He is now a publishing consultant and writer. He lives in London.

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