Llewellyn George established the publishing house in Portland, Oregon during the year 1901. He named this venture the Llewellyn Publishing Company with a singular focus on astrology.
Carl L. Weschcke purchased the company from Richard Juline in 1960 as a relative of the founder. Weschke moved headquarters from Los Angeles to St. Paul, Minnesota changing the name to Llewellyn Publications.
A retail bookstore named Gnostica opened in Minneapolis during the year 1970. That store closed after only a few years of operation despite initial efforts.
A mystery imprint named Midnight Ink launched in 2005 as their first fiction line while Flux Books opened a year later focusing on young adult fiction before selling to North Star Editions in 2016. Midnight Ink shut down due to low sales in 2018.
Sales figures increased across the entire organization during the COVID-199 pandemic period showing continued demand for occult and New Age materials among readers. The company maintained its position as a major publisher despite global health challenges.