A patient build-up

Louis Hachette, a 26-year-old graduate of France’s prestigious École Normale Supérieure, opens Brédif, a bookshop located near the Sorbonne in Paris.

The Guizot Schools Law is passed, requiring every municipality to open a primary school. Louis Hachette has been putting together an alphabet primer since 1829 and is the only one capable of filling the public order for a million textbooks.

L. Hachette et Compagnie is founded on January 1. Emile Littré signs a contract with Louis Hachette to publish a dictionary, the first volumes of which appear in 1863.

Louis Hachette signs a concession contract with seven railway companies to create station bookstalls that sell travel guides, such as the Guides Joanne, and novels by such authors as Charles Dickens, Gérard de Nerval and George Sand, along with works from the children’s series Bibliothèque rose, including those by the Comtesse de Ségur.

Louis Hachette dies on July 31.

The monthly Lecture pour tous (Reading for All) is launched.

Hachette acquires Hetzel, the publisher of Jules Verne.

The Guides Joanne become the Guides bleus. The children’s collection Bibliothèque verte is founded. Hachette et Cie becomes Librairie Hachette.

Henri Filipacchi spearheads the creation of the paperback imprint Le Livre de Poche.

The publishers Grasset and Fasquelle join Librairie Hachette.

Librairie Arthème Fayard joins Librairie Hachette.

Stock joins Librairie Hachette.

Librairie Hachette becomes Hachette SA.

A distribution center – the Centre de Distribution du Livre – is founded in Maurepas, southwest of Paris.

Matra Group, chaired by Jean-Luc Lagardère, acquires Hachette SA. Éditions JC Lattès joins Hachette SA.

The Spanish publisher Editorial Salvat joins Hachette SA.

Hachette SA’s publishing assets form Hachette Livre.

Calmann-Lévy joins Hachette Livre.

Creation of Hachette Collections, which will go on to become the second-largest publisher of partworks in the world.

Groupe Alexandre Hatier joins Hachette Livre.

The U.K. publishers Orion (Gollancz, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Phoenix) and Cassell join Hachette Livre.

Bruño in Spain and Octopus in Great Britain join Hachette Livre.

Hachette Livre acquires publishers (Larousse, Armand Colin and Dunod in France as well as the Anaya Group in Spain) when Éditis is put up for sale by Vivendi.

The U.K. group Hodder Headline (Headline, Hodder & Stoughton, John Murray, Hodder Children’s Books, Hodder Education, Hodder Headline Australia New Zealand) joins Hachette Livre, combining with Orion, Octopus and Franklin Watts to create the Hachette UK group.

Time Warner Book Group in the United States (Warner Books, which became Grand Central Publishing; Little, Brown and Company; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Bulfinch Press; Warner Faith; Center Street; and Time Warner Audio Books) joins Hachette Livre. Today, they form Hachette Book Group (HBG). Little, Brown Book Group joins Hachette UK.

Piatkus and Philip Allan (U.K.), Pika (France) and Patria (Mexico) join Hachette Livre.

The French publisher Éditions des 2 Terres joins Hachette Livre. Hachette India is founded. Hachette Livre acquires 60% of Éditions Albert-René, the publisher of Asterix.

A joint venture is initiated in China with Phoenix Publishing & Media Group (PPMG). A joint venture is initiated in Lebanon with Librairie Antoine.

Hachette Livre becomes the sole shareholder of Éditions Albert-René. Hachette Livre acquires a 25% stake in the Russian publishing group Azbooka-Atticus.

Hachette Book Group purchases Hyperion's adult backlist titles.

Hachette UK acquires Constable & Robinson and Quercus, as well as Pearson’s textbook catalog aimed at English-speaking areas of the Caribbean. Hachette Livre becomes a 49% shareholder of Russian publishing group Azbooka-Atticus.

Hodder Education (Hachette UK) acquires the U.K. educational publisher Rising Stars, and subsequently acquires Pearson’s educational catalog for the Singaporean market. Hachette Book Group acquires Black Dog & Leventhal. Hachette Livre acquires Kero.

Hachette Book Group acquires Perseus’s publishing business. Hachette UK acquires Neon Play, a mobile game company, and Hachette Livre acquires Brainbow, a mobile app company, maker of Peak.

Hachette UK acquires Bookouture as well as Summersdale and Kyle Books, both of which become imprints of Octopus Publishing, and Jessica Kingsley Publishers, which becomes an imprint of John Murray Press. Hachette Livre in France acquires the video game company IsCool Entertainment.

La Plage, a publisher of illustrated books, joins Hachette Livre in France. Hachette Book Group acquires Christian publisher Worthy Publishing and adds it to the Hachette Nashville division.

Hachette Livre acquires Gigamic and Blackrock, French board game manufacturers. The three game studios – Neon Play, Peak and IsCool – are consolidated into a single unit, Hachette Mobile Studios. The Hely Hutchinson Distribution Centre in the UK is officially opened. Hachette UK acquires Short Books, a nonfiction publishing house, which becomes an imprint of Octopus Publishing, as well as Teejay, a publisher specialized in mathematics.