Brassey's

The heritage of the series name dates to the Brassey's Naval Annual, begun by Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey, the Civil Lord of the Admiralty, in 1886. This large volume became a British tradition in military studies circles and reliably appeared each year. Companies House shows an entity Brassey's Publishers Ltd as existing since 1920.{{cite web | url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/00171055 | title=Rexam WCP Limited: Company number 00171055 | publisher=Companies House | access-date=13 April 2022}} But the actual printing of the Naval Annual was typically done by William Clowes Ltd.See for example {{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99847582/ | title=Allies' Naval Strength | newspaper=Newcastle Journal and North Mail | date=8 July 1942 | page=4 | via=Newspapers.com}}

By the late 1970s,

Brassey's Publishers Ltd was more often credited as a publisher itself.See for example {{cite news | author-last=Stanhope | author-first=Henry | title=Army to rely on civil transport in wartime | newspaper=The Times | location=London | date=16 November 1978 | page= 7 | via= The Times Digital Archive | url= https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CS117932912/TTDA?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-TTDA&xid=e9c55cec }}

A 1979 announcement in the bids and deals section of The Guardian labelled Brassey's as "said to be the oldest established name in defence publishing".

In 1980, Brassey's Publishers was acquired by British media mogul Robert Maxwell.{{cite news | author-first=Andrew | author-last=Lycett | title=Publishers in retreat? | newspaper=The Times | location=London | date=11 July 1990 | page= 16 | via= The Times Digital Archive | url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/IF0500307042/TTDA?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-TTDA&xid=80d17e7b }} The acquisition was announced in December 1979.{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99783678/ | title=Bids & Deals: Pergamon | newspaper=The Guardian | location=London, Manchester | date=8 December 1979 | page=19 | via=Newspapers.com}} Subsequently named Brassey's Defence Publishers Ltd,{{cite journal | url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07430178608405260 | title=Brassey's Annual 1886–1986 | author-first=Eric | author-last=Grove | journal=Defense Analysis | volume =2 | date=1986 | issue =3 | pages =257–260 | doi=10.1080/07430178608405260 | url-access=subscription }} it was a subsidiary of Maxwell's Pergamon Press.{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99524667/ | title=Maxwell seen as 'Green Knight' | author-first=Margareta | author-last=Pagano | newspaper=The Guardian | location=London, Manchester | date=5 December 1985 | page=20 | via=Newspapers.com}} Under this name it published military-related volumes during the 1980s, including one called The Military Balance and others produced in conjunction with the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. It also put out books with related themes, such as Garrison (1987), a socio-historical look at ten British military towns.{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99849966/ | title=Book Firm Scores Its Century | author-first=Larry | author-last=Signy | newspaper=Aldershot News | date=27 February 1987 | page=2 (Weekend) | via=Newspapers.com}}

By the 1990s, the firm was known as Brassey's Ltd. It continued to publish military-related titles, such as The Lifeblood of War: Logistics in Armed Conflict (1991).{{cite journal | author-last=Ramsey | author-first=Russell W. | title=Another Look at Logistics | journal=Marine Corps Gazette | volume= 76 | number= 4 | date= 1992 | page= 106 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/206365222 | id={{ProQuest|206365222}}}}

In 1998, Brassey's Ltd was acquired by Batsford Communications PLC.

{{cite news | title=Batsford Looks for Greater U.S. Role | magazine= Publishers Weekly | date=19 October 1998 | page= 14 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/197032187 | id= {{ProQuest|197032187}}}} But in 1999 Batsford went into receivership,{{cite news | author-last=Leapman | author-first=Michael | title=B T Batsford in Receivership | newspaper=The Times | location=London | date=30 July 1999 | url= https://www.proquest.com/docview/318146346 | id={{ProQuest|318146346}} }} with pieces being acquired that year by the Chrysalis Group.{{cite news | author-last=Speelman | author-first=Jon | title=Chess [Foreign Edition] | newspaper=The Independent | location=London | date=27 September 1999 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/312928577 | id={{ProQuest|312928577}} }}

Thus by 2000, Brassey's was an imprint of the Chrysalis Books,{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99967695/ | title=[Appointments:] Media: Designers | newspaper=Evening Standard | location=London | date=24 May 2000 | page=62 | via=Newspapers.com}} In the early 2000s, Brassey's was stated as being a division of the Chrysalis Books Group.{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99655577/ | title=Appointments: Creative, Media & Sales: Book Designer | newspaper=The Guardian | location=London, Manchester | date=2 December 2002 | page=21 (MediaGuardian) | via=Newspapers.com}} A sister imprint was Conway Maritime Press.

In 2005, all Chrysalis imprints, including Brassey's, were sold to a new firm composed of the imprints' managers, that firm being named Anova Books Company.{{cite news | url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/business/arid-30229033.html | title=Chrysalis sells book arm | newspaper= Irish Examiner | date=7 November 2005}}

After that, the Brassey's name seems to have faded away as an imprint or a name published under.

In 1983, Brassey's, Inc. was founded as the United States subsidiary of Brassey's. While still mostly known for titles on military history, over time Brassey's, Inc. began publishing works on several other topics including American history and sports history.

The year 1999 saw Brassey's, Inc. being acquired by Books International, a Virginia-based warehouse and distribution company.{{cite news | url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/19991004/24043-brassey-s-inc-acquired.html | title=Brassey's Inc. Acquired | magazine=Publishers Weekly | date=4 October 1999}} At this point, the US-based Brassey's became independent of the UK-based Brassey's.{{cite news | title=People News: Dymott moves to Brassey's US | work= The Bookseller | date=27 June 2003 | page= 16 | via= Gale General OneFile | url= https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A105477632/ITOF?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=df2ee98a }}{{cite web|last1=Clifford|first1=Helen|title=Potomac Books acquired by University of Nebraska Press|url=http://www.londonbookfair.co.uk/Library/Highlights-from-around-the-globe/Potomac-Books-acquired-by-University-of-Nebraska-Press/|publisher=The London Book Fair| date=26 March 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180221100209/http://www.londonbookfair.co.uk/Library/Highlights-from-around-the-globe/Potomac-Books-acquired-by-University-of-Nebraska-Press/ | archive-date=21 February 2018}}

Then in 2004, Brassey's, Inc. was renamed Potomac Books; the newly named imprint further expanded its catalog to include world and national affairs, presidential history, diplomats and diplomacy, and biography and memoir.{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99590660/ | title=University Press acquires Potomac Books | newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star | date=26 March 2013 | page=A4 | via=Newspapers.com}}

Similarly to the UK branch, after this point the Brassey's name seems to have become unused.

• HarperCollins
• University of Nebraska Press

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.brasseys.co.uk www.brasseys.co.uk, goes to Pavilion Books]
• [https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/potomac/ Potomac Books]
• [http://books.stonebooks.com/publisher/2696/ Stone & Stone entry on Brassey's Military Books (UK)]

Category:Book publishing companies of the United Kingdom