South-Western began in 1903 when James W. Baker, a 28-year-old bookkeeping teacher at Knoxville Business College, decided he could write a better bookkeeping text than what was being used. He soon received numerous requests for his 20th Century Bookkeeping and Office Practices. That’s all the encouragement he needed to launch his own publishing house. Partnering with J.C. and Hu Woodward, Baker set his plan in motion, and on Feb. 6, 1903, South-Western was officially born.

It didn't take long for business to grow. In 1910 sales reached $50,000, and Baker was able to move the company to a larger city, Cincinnati, Ohio. With a new downtown location, Baker found even more success with his publications. By 1927, South-Western's 20th Century Touch Typewriting was the leading its market. And the company's commitment to quality became more evident when yet another product quickly became a market-leader. McKinsey’s Accounting Principles rapidly gained popularity and today, that same text now titled Accounting Principles, is in its 20th edition.

In 1934 South-Western further expanded its market reach and product offerings with a special line of books for private business schools — an industry first.

Early “custom publishing” efforts began during World War II, when from 1943-45 South-Western produced more than 5 million items — more than any other publisher — for the U.S. Armed Forces. With true patriotism and team spirit, all of South-Western's employees joined in to make this effort a reality. Salespeople and even the company president helped pack the priority shipments. ( taking orders1940s.tif and/or ShippingDept-634 Broadway.tif on CD)

In 1954 South-Western purchased 12 acres of land at 5101 Madison Road in Cincinnati where a new main office was built. South-Western was headquartered here for 47 years, shaping and positioning itself to meet the needs of its growing and changing markets. Despite organizational restructuring, acquisitions and name changes, South-Western stayed focused on business education and ever-changing customer needs. (5101 Madison-Airialview-1955.tif on CD)

In 1972 two original books, 20th Century Bookkeeping and Accounting and 20th Century Typewriting were re-introduced as Century 21 Accounting and Century 21 Typewriting. Adapting to the changing markets has been critical in the success of these books, which is why they still lead their markets today. (C21Acctng-blue.gif and C21Acctng-green.gif C21keyboard.gif - attached)

By 1982 South-Western produced its first microcomputer courseware package, Automated Accounting for the Microcomputer. This marked the exciting beginning of an unwavering commitment to technology and innovation in the classroom. (Automated Accounting.jpg -attached)

The Thomson Corporation acquired South-Western in 1986 and is still a part of its learning division. As a part of Thomson, South-Western continued to grow. West Publishing, a business law and taxation publisher, Dame publishing, a dominant tax and accounting publishing house, and the Prentice Hall/Pearson Real Estate list were all acquired by South-Western by 2000. This once again expanded market reach and also propelled South-Western into a leading role as a professional publisher.

2001 brought Thomson’s acquisition of select Harcourt General businesses and the merge of the higher education product line into South-Western's product line, making South-Western the leading business and economics educational materials provider in the world. To accommodate the growing company, South-Western moved from its Cincinnati location to a new headquarters in Mason, Ohio.

From humble beginnings — one book and an idea for a better way — South-Western’s commitment to excellence and penchant for innovation have catapulted it to the top of the industry. One-hundred years later, the same commitment to quality and innovation promises many years of future success and future market-leaders.