R. R. Bowker
R. R. Bowker is a U.S. bibliographic information and publishing-services company best known as the exclusive U.S. ISBN agency and publisher of Books in Print.
Last updated October 14, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
R. R. Bowker LLC, commonly known as Bowker, is an American information and publishing-services company serving the book trade. Its customers and users include publishers, booksellers, libraries, distributors, researchers, authors, and other organizations that need authoritative information about books and periodicals. The company is based in Chatham, New Jersey, and has also maintained operational activity in England and Australia. Bowker traces its origins to 1868, when German immigrant and bookseller Frederick Leypoldt established the Literary Bulletin in New York City. Leypoldt recognized that the expanding book business needed dependable bibliographic records so that publishers, booksellers, and libraries could identify, order, and manage publications more efficiently. During the following decade, the business developed a group of influential reference publications. Leypoldt issued the first Annual American Catalogue in 1870, launched Publishers Weekly in 1872, introduced the Publishers' Uniform Trade-List Annual in 1873, and helped establish Library Journal in 1876. In 1878, the company was acquired by Richard Rogers Bowker, whose name became attached to the enterprise. The Bowker name became associated with reference works that organized information about books, publishers, periodicals, and the wider publishing marketplace. Among the notable directories connected with the company were Literary Marketplace and Ulrich's Periodicals Directory. Books in Print, first published in 1948, became one of Bowker's central products. It developed from the earlier American Catalogue and was designed to provide a broad record of books available in the United States and in English-language markets. Although originally a print reference, Books in Print became primarily an electronic information resource as professional users increasingly relied on searchable databases. A major part of Bowker's modern identity is its role in the International Standard Book Number system. ISBNs provide unique identifiers for commercially published books and related products, allowing participants in the supply chain to distinguish editions, formats, and titles. Bowker serves as the exclusive U.S. agency for assigning ISBNs. Through its My Identifiers service, U.S. publishers and self-publishing authors can obtain ISBNs individually or in blocks and maintain associated title and publisher information. This agency role gives Bowker a foundational position in U.S. publishing metadata and distribution workflows, even though the company is not itself a consumer-facing bookseller. Bowker's activities also extend into publishing supply-chain services, bibliographic databases, metadata management, and analytical tools. Its publications and data products support title discovery, cataloging, inventory decisions, market analysis, and professional research. The Library and Book Trade Almanac, formerly known as The Bowker Annual, provides information and analysis concerning publishing, bookselling, and libraries, including industry developments, statistics, legislation, funding, prices, and workforce information. The company has changed ownership several times. Xerox acquired R. R. Bowker in 1967. Reed International acquired it in 1985, while Publishers Weekly was transferred that year to Cahners Publishing Company after more than a century associated with Bowker. Reed moved its reference division to Chatham, New Jersey, in 1991. Cambridge Information Group acquired Bowker in 2001 and later repositioned it as an affiliate of ProQuest. In 2007, Cambridge Information Group sold Literary Marketplace and other directories to Information Today, Inc., separating those assets from the core Bowker business. Today, Bowker is best understood as a business-to-business data and infrastructure brand within the publishing ecosystem. Its importance rests less on mass-market visibility than on the standardization, identification, discovery, and circulation of bibliographic info…
History
R. R. Bowker originated in New York City in 1868, when Frederick Leypoldt founded the Literary Bulletin. A bookseller and German immigrant, Leypoldt saw that the expanding American book market lacked sufficiently organized information about available publications. His enterprise developed reference products intended to make transactions among publishers, booksellers, libraries, and readers more efficient. The company expanded its bibliographic role through a series of publications. Leypoldt issued the first Annual American Catalogue in 1870, a work that later provided the foundation for Books in Print. Publishers Weekly began in 1872, followed by the Publishers' Uniform Trade-List Annual in 1873 and Library Journal in 1876. In 1878, Richard Rogers Bowker acquired Leypoldt's company, and the R. R. Bowker name became established in the publishing-reference field. Leypoldt and Bowker were also associated with Literary Marketplace and Ulrich's Periodicals Directory, both important sources of information about publishers and serial publications. Books in Print was first published in 1948. It became one of Bowker's defining reference products by bringing together information about books currently available in the United States and in English-language publishing. The title began as a print work but later became predominantly an electronic database. Its records support title discovery, collection development, ordering, cataloging, and market research. Bowker's role broadened from reference publishing into publishing infrastructure. The company became the exclusive U.S. agent for International Standard Book Numbers, identifiers created to distinguish commercial book editions and formats. ISBN administration placed Bowker at an important point in the publishing supply chain. Publishers and self-publishing authors can acquire ISBNs through Bowker's My Identifiers service, either individually or in blocks, and associate publication information with those identifiers. Ownership changed significantly in the second half of the twentieth century. Xerox acquired the company in 1967. Reed International purchased it in 1985, and Reed's reference division moved to Chatham, New Jersey, in 1991. Publishers Weekly, which had been connected with Bowker for 113 years, was transferred to Cahners Publishing Company in 1985. These changes reflected a broader separation between Bowker's bibliographic and reference operations and individual publishing titles. Cambridge Information Group acquired Bowker in 2001. Bowker was subsequently positioned as an affiliate of ProQuest, another Cambridge Information Group information business. In 2007, Cambridge Information Group sold Literary Marketplace and other directories to Information Today, Inc. The transaction changed the composition of Bowker's reference portfolio while leaving the company associated with bibliographic information, ISBN services, Books in Print, and publishing-industry data. Bowker's current business is primarily professional and institutional rather than consumer-oriented. It supplies data and services to publishers, booksellers, libraries, distributors, authors, and researchers. Its offerings cover title and publisher information, identifiers, metadata, supply-chain support, and analytical tools. The company also publishes or has published professional reference works such as the Library and Book Trade Almanac, formerly called The Bowker Annual. Through these activities, Bowker remains an infrastructure and information brand within the U.S. book industry, with historical roots in print reference publishing and a present focus on digital data and publishing workflows.
- 2007
Directory assets sold to Information Today
[1]Literary Marketplace and other directories were sold by Cambridge Information Group to Information Today, Inc.
- 2001
Acquisition by Cambridge Information Group
[1]Cambridge Information Group acquired Bowker and later positioned it as a ProQuest affiliate.
- 1991
Reference division moved to Chatham
[1]Reed's reference division moved to Chatham, New Jersey, which remains Bowker's stated headquarters.
- 1985
Acquisition by Reed International
[1]Reed International acquired Bowker from Xerox.
- 1967
Acquisition by Xerox
[1]Xerox acquired R. R. Bowker.
- 1948
Books in Print first published
[1]Bowker published the first edition of Books in Print, which became a major source of information about available books.
- 1878
Richard Rogers Bowker acquired the company
[1]Richard Rogers Bowker acquired Leypoldt's company, after which the R. R. Bowker name became established.
- 1876
Library Journal launched
[1]The first issue of Library Journal was published in the period when Leypoldt's enterprise was expanding its professional reference activities.
- 1872
Publishers Weekly launched
[1]The first issue of Publishers Weekly appeared as part of the company's growing publishing-reference portfolio.
- 1870
Annual American Catalogue introduced
[1]Leypoldt issued the first Annual American Catalogue, an early predecessor of Books in Print.
Products and positioning
A specialist business-to-business information provider and publishing infrastructure company focused on bibliographic data, ISBN identification, title discovery, metadata, and research tools for the book trade.
Bibliographic database and reference publication · 1948
Books in Print
Books in Print is Bowker's principal book-reference product. First published in 1948, it developed from the Annual American Catalogue and records books available in the United States and in English-language publishing. It has existed in print and electronic forms, with electronic access becoming the dominant format. Its information supports title discovery, ordering, collection development, cataloging, and publishing-market research for professional users.
ISBN administration service
My Identifiers
My Identifiers is Bowker's service for U.S. publishers and self-publishing authors who need to obtain and manage International Standard Book Numbers. The service supports individual ISBN purchases and larger blocks, allowing users to connect identifiers with publisher and title information. It is part of Bowker's role as the exclusive U.S. ISBN agency.
Publishing infrastructure
International Standard Book Number services
Bowker administers ISBN issuance in the United States. ISBNs uniquely identify commercial book publications and help distinguish titles, editions, and formats across publisher, bookseller, library, distributor, and supply-chain systems. This agency function makes Bowker a standards and metadata intermediary rather than a retail bookseller.
Industry reference publication
Library and Book Trade Almanac
The Library and Book Trade Almanac, formerly known as The Bowker Annual, is a professional reference work covering trends and developments in publishing, bookselling, and libraries. Its subject matter includes industry statistics, book prices, library expenditures, salaries, legislation, and funding programs. It is intended for librarians, publishers, booksellers, and researchers.
Periodical directory
Ulrich's Periodicals Directory
Ulrich's Periodicals Directory is a reference resource associated with Bowker's historical directory and bibliographic-information portfolio. It organizes information about periodical titles for libraries, researchers, publishers, and information professionals.
Publishing directory
Literary Marketplace
Literary Marketplace was a professional directory containing information about publishing-industry organizations and contacts. It was historically associated with Bowker but, together with other directories, was sold by Cambridge Information Group to Information Today, Inc. in 2007.
Brand decisions
2007
Sale of Literary Marketplace and other directoriesM&ABackground
Cambridge Information Group reorganized parts of its publishing-reference portfolio after acquiring Bowker.
Action taken
Information Today, Inc. acquired Literary Marketplace and other directories from Cambridge Information Group.
Aftermath
The sale reduced the directory assets retained within Bowker while the company remained focused on ISBN administration, Books in Print, and publishing-industry information services.
2001
Cambridge Information Group acquisitionM&ABackground
Cambridge Information Group acquired Bowker as part of its information-services portfolio.
Action taken
Cambridge Information Group purchased the company and subsequently repositioned it as an affiliate of ProQuest.
Aftermath
Bowker continued operating as a specialist provider of bibliographic information, ISBN services, publishing data, and supply-chain tools within the Cambridge Information Group and ProQuest orbit.
1985
Reed International acquisition and Publishers Weekly transferM&ABackground
Xerox sold R. R. Bowker to Reed International. During the same year, Publishers Weekly was separated from Bowker and transferred to Cahners Publishing Company.
Action taken
Reed International acquired the company, while Cahners acquired Publishers Weekly.
Aftermath
The transaction shifted Bowker further toward bibliographic, directory, and reference-information activities rather than ownership of the Publishers Weekly publication.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/r-r-bowker · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled