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— CH. 1 · FOUNDING AND LITERARY ORIGINS —

Wiley (publisher)

~3 min read · Ch. 1 of 5
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  • Charles Wiley opened a print shop in Manhattan in 1807. The small business published works by James Fenimore Cooper and Washington Irving during the nineteenth century. Edgar Allan Poe also appeared in their early catalog alongside legal and religious texts. John Wiley, born on the 4th of October 1808 in Flatbush, took over operations after his father died in 1826. The firm changed names several times before settling on John Wiley & Sons in 1876. William H. Wiley joined his brother Charles to solidify the company identity that year. By the twentieth century, the organization shifted focus away from literature toward scientific and technical subjects.

  • Wiley acquired Blackwell Publishing in February 2007 for an undisclosed sum. This merger created Scientific, Technical, Medical, and Scholarly publishing under one roof. The combined entity now manages 1,600 scholarly peer-reviewed journals and thousands of books. In 2012, the company purchased Inscape Holdings Inc. to offer DISC assessments for interpersonal skills. A month later, they announced plans to sell travel assets including the Frommer's brand. Google Inc. bought all interests in the Frommer's brand on the 13th of August 2012. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt acquired cookbooks and dictionaries in November 2012. Turner Publishing Company received pets and crafts lines while Fernhurst Books took nautical titles in 2013. HarperCollins merged parts of Wiley Canada into U.S. operations that same year.

  • Wiley Interscience launched in 1997 to provide online access to journals and reference works. The platform integrated Blackwell Synergy content on the 30th of June 2008 before being replaced by Wiley Online Library. That new library debuted on the 7th of August 2010 with over four million articles from 1,600 journals. It includes more than 22,000 books and hundreds of databases from imprints like Jossey-Bass. The system runs on the Literatum platform developed by Atypon after Wiley acquired them in 2016. In December 2007, technical titles began distribution through Safari Books Online e-reference service. By April 2024, the company receives about 10,000 monthly manuscript submissions across its digital platforms. Over 8,000 pages of journal backfiles dating to 1799 became available through a 2007 initiative.

  • In 2021, Wiley purchased Hindawi for $298 million in cash. The acquisition brought numerous open access journals under the parent brand. By 2023, over 8,000 articles from paper mills were retracted from these journals. More than 11,300 compromised studies disappeared from the portfolio over two years. The CEO who initiated the deal stepped down following the scandal. As of April 2024, approximately 10 percent of all submissions are flagged as fictitious. International Publisher Ltd., run by Ksenia Badziun, operated a website where academics could purchase authorships. At least 419 articles matched manuscripts appearing in dozens of different journals including those from Wiley-Blackwell. Wiley closed 19 of the roughly 250 journals acquired in the Hindawi deal during 2024. Scopus disconnected all affected papers from their database shortly after the retractions began.

  • John Wiley & Sons filed suit against Supap Kirtsaeng in 2008 regarding textbook imports from Thailand. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6, 3 in 2013 that the first-sale doctrine applied to copies sold abroad at lower prices. A Southern District of New York court upheld an award of over $39 million to Wiley in 2018 against Book Dog Books for distributing counterfeit copies. In 2014, the District Court found Wiley infringed on photographer Tom Bean's copyright beyond the scope of a purchased license. Another photo agency successfully sued Wiley in 2015 for similar unauthorized usage claims. Wiley joined other publishers suing the Internet Archive in June 2020 over e-book collections. Lucina Uddin, a neuroscience professor at UCLA, filed an antitrust lawsuit in September 2024 alleging collusion among academic journal publishers. The case claims scholars receive no payment for peer review services while publishers agree not to compete for manuscripts.

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Common questions

When did Charles Wiley open his print shop in Manhattan?

Charles Wiley opened a print shop in Manhattan in 1807. The small business published works by James Fenimore Cooper and Washington Irving during the nineteenth century.

What year did John Wiley & Sons settle on its current name?

The firm changed names several times before settling on John Wiley & Sons in 1876. William H. Wiley joined his brother Charles to solidify the company identity that year.

How many scholarly peer-reviewed journals does Wiley manage today?

Wiley manages 1,600 scholarly peer-reviewed journals and thousands of books. The combined entity now operates Scientific, Technical, Medical, and Scholarly publishing under one roof after acquiring Blackwell Publishing in February 2007.

Why did Wiley close 19 journals acquired from Hindawi in 2024?

Wiley closed 19 of the roughly 250 journals acquired in the Hindawi deal during 2024 due to retracted articles from paper mills. Over 11,300 compromised studies disappeared from the portfolio over two years following the scandal.

When did the U.S. Supreme Court rule on the Wiley v. Kirtsaeng textbook case?

John Wiley & Sons filed suit against Supap Kirtsaeng in 2008 regarding textbook imports from Thailand. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6, 3 in 2013 that the first-sale doctrine applied to copies sold abroad at lower prices.

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All sources

94 references cited across the entry

  1. 1webFY 2024 Annual Report (Form 10-K)U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission — June 26, 2024
  2. 2webJournal Tier List
  3. 3webWiley: Redesign and redecorate your home the simple way with Home Design 3D For Dummies
  4. 4press releaseAbout WileyJohn Wiley & Sons — 2008
  5. 5press releaseNewsJohn Wiley & Sons — 2008
  6. 6bookA Century of Science PublishingBrown Peter — IOS Press — 2001
  7. 7webBRIEFSMay 10, 1982
  8. 8newsAlan R. Liss, 67, Manhattan PublisherAugust 25, 1992
  9. 9webWiley acquires VCH; will stress black-interest titles at ABACalvin Reid — May 13, 1996
  10. 10webWiley-VCH – The publishing house and its history
  11. 11newsMetro Business; John Wiley Acquires A Trade Book UnitDavid W. Chen — October 10, 1997
  12. 12webWiley, Kluwer Acquire Two Pearson Units
  13. 13webIDG Books Buys Macmillan General ReferenceJim Milliot et al.
  14. 14webWiley: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. to Complete Acquisition of Hungry Minds, Inc.
  15. 15webJohn Wiley Timeline
  16. 16webJohn Wiley & Sons Reports Record Income In its Bicentennial Year Authorlink
  17. 17webWiley Announces the Acquisition of HindawiJanuary 5, 2021
  18. 18webWiley Acquires Editorial Services GroupBy — October 4, 2021
  19. 19webMerger of Online Program Companies Suggests 'Reset' in the MarketLauren Coffey
  20. 20webWiley Opens Office in Dubai
  21. 21webHigh growth and emerging markets: a 21st century strategy
  22. 22press releaseWiley Establishes Wiley Brasil Editora LTDAJohn Wiley & Sons
  23. 23newsJohn Wiley takes over Blackwell PublishingCarol Fletcher — New Jersey Media Group — February 8, 2007
  24. 24press releaseWiley to Acquire Blackwell Publishing (Holdings) Ltd.John Wiley & Sons — November 17, 2006
  25. 25webAbout Wiley Journals
  26. 26press releaseScientific, Technical, Medical, and Scholarly (Wiley-Blackwell)John Wiley & Sons — 2008
  27. 27newsWiley InterScienceThe Mid-South Publishing Company — September 21, 1997
  28. 28press releaseWiley Acquires Inscape, a Leading Provider of DiSC-Based Learning SolutionsJohn Wiley & Sons — 2012
  29. 29press releaseWiley to Divest Selected Publishing AssetsJohn Wiley & Sons — 2012
  30. 30webWiley Buys Harlan DavidsonMay 8, 2012
  31. 31press releaseWiley to Sell Travel Publishing ProgramJohn Wiley & Sons — 2012
  32. 32webHMH buys John Wiley portfolioNovember 8, 2012
  33. 33webWiley: Fernhurst Books Acquires Nautical Titles from Wiley's General Interest Consumer Publishing ProgramMay 31, 2013
  34. 34webWiley stops publishing Canadian business books: RosemanEllen Roseman — May 22, 2013
  35. 35webWiley Acquires eJournal PressDecember 15, 2021
  36. 36webForm 10q
  37. 37webWiley acquires Hindawi: A Q&A with Liz FergusonFebruary 23, 2021
  38. 38webHindawi reveals process for retracting more than 8,000 paper mill articlesEllie Kincaid — 2023-12-19
  39. 39journalPaper mills are bribing editors at scholarly journals, Science investigation finds2024-01-18
  40. 40webWiley to stop using "Hindawi" name amid $18 million revenue decline6 December 2023
  41. 41webUp to one in seven submissions to hundreds of Wiley journals flagged by new paper mill toolRetraction Watch — March 2024
  42. 42press releaseRittenhouse Quarterly ReportRittenhouse Book Distributors — 2008
  43. 43webNew Agreement Makes eTextbooks Available to Students
  44. 44webWiley FRM - FRM Study Material & Exam Prep
  45. 45webWiley Partners With Christian H. Cooper To Deliver Cutting-Edge Study Materials For FRM Candidates Worldwide
  46. 46press release2006 Annual ReportJohn Wiley & Sons — 2006
  47. 47webWiley and Hindawi expand open access publishing collaborationOctober 25, 2018
  48. 48webGroundbreaking deal makes large number of German studies free to publicKai Kupferschmidt — January 18, 2019
  49. 49press releaseWiley Custom SelectMark Logic — 2009
  50. 50webMiles Education IIM Lucknow courses and MDP alumni status for working professionals
  51. 51newsIIMs roll out specific post-graduate programmes in business, data analyticsVinay Umarji — October 7, 2019
  52. 52webWiley to Acquire Deltak.edu, LLC, Leading Provider of Online Degree Program ServicesCNBC — 2012-10-02
  53. 53newsWiley to Buy Deltak, an Online Education CompanyBen Fox Rubin — 2012-10-02
  54. 54webWiley Acquires Learning House for $200M - EdSurge News2018-11-02
  55. 55webWiley Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2023 Results
  56. 56webShifts in the OPM Market - Pearson & WileyOn EdTech by Phil Hill & Associates
  57. 57webFourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2020 Earnings ReviewJune 11, 2020
  58. 58webAcademic Partnerships to buy Wiley's OPM business for base price of $110M
  59. 59press releaseNewsJohn Wiley & Sons — 2008
  60. 60webEvidence-Based Medicine - Essential Evidence Plus
  61. 61webWiley Online LibraryWiley
  62. 62webWiley plans redundancies in the UK and Australia
  63. 63webJohn Wiley to close Edinburgh facility
  64. 64webSDG Publishers Compact Members
  65. 65webSDG Publishers Compact
  66. 66webESG and Wiley Impact Update
  67. 67webGoing Green at Wiley: A Publisher's Role in SustainabilityTill von Graberg — April 28, 2022
  68. 68webSDG-Impact Journal Rating
  69. 69journalThe Misalignment of the FT50 with the Achievement of the UN's SDGs: A Call for Responsible Research Assessment by Business SchoolsKathleen Rodenburg et al. — January 2022
  70. 70newsthe source / Cabells launches new SDG Impact Intensity journal rating system in partnership with Saint Joseph's University's Haub School of BusinessSimon Linacre — 17 March 2021
  71. 71webFour more academic publishers reveal gender pay gaps
  72. 72webWiley set to earn $44m from AI rights deals, confirms "no opt-out" for authors
  73. 73webEntire board of law journal resigns in a 'small act of resistance'Adam Marcus — February 5, 2020
  74. 74webMajority of journal's editorial board resigns after publisher's handling of letter about move to open accessAdam Marcus — November 28, 2018
  75. 75webA Wiley journal makes another article disappearJune 29, 2020
  76. 76journalUse of the Journal Impact Factor in academic review, promotion, and tenure evaluationsErin C. McKiernan et al. — 2019
  77. 77webMajor indexing service sounds alarm on self-citations by nearly 50 journalsIvan Oransky — June 29, 2020
  78. 78webRussian site peddles paper authorship in reputable journals for up to $5000 a pop: Advertisements promised adding names to articles that appeared in dozens of journalsDalmeet Singh Chawla — April 6, 2022
  79. 79newsWiley to Shutter 19 JournalsJohanna Alonso — May 15, 2024
  80. 80newsRevealed: leading climate research publisher helps fuel oil and gas drillingAmy Westervelt — 24 February 2022
  81. 81journalCOP26 and the Dynamics of Anti-Fossil Fuel NormsHarro van Asselt et al. — 2023
  82. 82newsWiley Announces the Acquisition of Hindawi
  83. 83webMinden Pictures, Inc. v. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.January 27, 2014
  84. 84webJOHN WILEY & SONS, INC., Plaintiff/Counter-Defendant, v. DRK PHOTO, Defendant/Counter-PlaintiffFebruary 21, 2014
  85. 85newsJohn Wiley Partial Photo Copyright Win Affirmed On AppealPeter Leung — February 20, 2018
  86. 86newsAgreements with photographers did not give stock photo agency standing to sue for copyright infringementThomas Long — June 11, 2014
  87. 87courthttps://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/2821422/minden-pictures-v-john-wiley-sons/?q=MINDEN+PICTURES+v+wiley
  88. 89newsPublishers Win Big in Fake-Textbook LawsuitLindsay McKenzie — April 9, 2018
  89. 90inlineJohn Wiley & Sons, Inc. v. Kirtsaeng , CIV.A.08CIV.7834DCP, 2009 WL 3364037 (S.D.N.Y. October 19, 2009) aff'd, 654 F.3d 210 (2d Cir. 2011)
  90. 91newsSupreme Court says copyright law does not protect publishers in discount re-salesMarch 19, 2013
  91. 92webPublishers Sue Internet Archive Over Free E-BooksElizabeth A. Harris — June 1, 2020
  92. 93inlinehttps://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17211300/hachette-book-group-inc-v-internet-archive/
  93. 94newsAcademic publishers face class action over 'peer review' pay, other restrictionsMike Scarcella — 2024-09-13
  94. 95web'Illegal Conspiracy'?: EDNY Antitrust Class Action Challenges Publishers' Unpaid Peer Review RuleSulaiman Abdur-Rahman — 2024-09-13