Reed Elsevier is a leading global publisher and information provider.

History

Reed Elsevier started operation in January 1993, as the result of a merger of the British trade book and magazine publisher Reed International, with the Dutch science publisher Elsevier NV.

History of Reed International

In 1894, Albert E. Reed established a newsprint manufacture at Tovil mill near Maidstone. In 1903, Albert E Reed & Co was registered as a public company. In 1970, the company name was changed to Reed International Limited.

History of Elsevier NV

In 1880, Jacobus George Robbers started a publishing company called NV Uitgeversmaatschappij Elsevier in Rotterdam.

Company segments

Science and medical

The segment Science and Medical is operated by Elsevier.

Legal

The segment Legal is operated by LexisNexis.

Education

The segment Education is operated by Harcourt, Inc. .

Business

The segment Business is operated by Reed Business .

Pricing controversy

Reed Elsevier are being criticized increasingly for their pricing policies, especially Elsevier Science and LexisNexis, which have been operating at very high profit margins for several years. Members of the scientific community have repeatedly called for boycotting of Elsevier journals and moving to open access publications such as those of the Public Library of Science or BioMed Central.

External links

• ketupa.net media profile: Reed Elsevier historical overview
• Double Dutch No Longer in-depth article about the company from 2002 (Forbes.com)
• The Observer March 14, 2004: Black arts of the science mags

• Official web site Reed Elsevier
• Official web site Elsevier Science
• Official web site LexisNexis
• Official web site Harcourt
• Official web site Reed Business