Publishers Weekly turns 150 this year, a particularly illustrious and rare milestone for any publication, let alone a specialized B2B magazine. In that time, the publishing industry has changed in ways that would have been unimaginable to PW’s founder, Frederick Leypoldt, changes that have affected both what PW reports on but also how it exists as a publication itself.
Founded in 1872 as simply a weekly trade circular, Publishers Weekly has single-handedly provided us with recorded history of the American publishing industry as it has evolved and thrived. With nearly two centuries worth of archives, both in print and digital, PW set out to curate an anniversary issue that tells a story—the growth of a business; the growth of a magazine; the growth of an industry—through articles, advertisements, and covers of the past as they developed over time.
Upholding PW as the “bible of the book business” John Maher writes in his article addressing the anniversary issue, “When observed as a whole, the archives of Publishers Weekly show a record of not just what books were published, their quality, and whether they were behind or ahead of their time, but of the people and companies behind those books—their qualities, their timeliness.”
For more in-depth coverage of PW’s 150th anniversary, check out this month’s issue—their longest magazine in years, available completely free online in honor of the milestone.