Our company’s distinctive name reflects its rich history in reference and educational publishing. The American Bibliographic Center (ABC) was founded in 1955 to create serial bibliographies. Soon after, CLIO Press was formed to publish historical periodicals—and ABC-CLIO was born. Clio, one of the nine Greek muses and patron goddess of history, serves as fitting inspiration for our activities, both then and now.

Over the years, we’ve expanded our focus to include many disciplines and embrace the best of new technologies, but we’ve remained true to our original commitment to excellence, innovation, and meeting the needs of our customers.

Today, ABC-CLIO is owned by Bloomsbury Publishing, a leading independent publishing house. In common with ABC-CLIO, Bloomsbury is a publisher with lifelong learning at the heart of the business, with a philosophy based on digital first and innovation. Bloomsbury publishes works of excellence and originality to inspire, educate and inform, and believes that intellectual curiosity and educational achievement go hand-in-hand.

ABC-CLIO operates within Bloomsbury’s Academic and Professional division and is run as part of Bloomsbury USA.   Learn more about Bloomsbury USA and the acquisition.