Short answers, pulled from the story.
Charles Black and Adam Black opened a small bookshop in Edinburgh on the 1st of January 1807. They began by selling religious texts and schoolbooks to local students before expanding their inventory.
In 1851, they purchased the copyrights to Sir Walter Scott's Waverly novels for £27,000. This acquisition marked a significant shift from general bookselling to major literary publishing.
Adam Black took over the project and oversaw the eighth and ninth editions until 1903. The ninth edition sold half a million sets between 1875 and 1889 despite his departure in 1870.
Beginning in 1839, the firm published a series of travel guides known as Black's Guides. They also issued Who's Who annually since 1849 to list prominent British citizens and their biographical details.
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc bought A & C Black in 2000. The parent company continued producing the former's range of reference works after acquiring Whitaker's Almanack in 2002.