Goldmann (publisher)

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Goldmann Verlag, also known as Wilhelm Goldmann Publishing, is a German publishing house based in Munich. It is an imprint of Penguin Random House, part of the Bertelsmann group, and is one of Germany’s best-selling paperback publishers.

Founded in 1922 in Leipzig by Wilhelm Goldmann, the company started with art books and adventure stories and soon found success with Edgar Wallace detective novels. Its bold cover designs by Heinrich Hussmann and the introduction of inexpensive pocket editions helped create the early Red Series of thrillers.

During World War II, Goldmann published popular science titles and produced special editions for troops. The Leipzig office was destroyed in 1943, but publishing continued until 1949. After the war, Goldmann’s founder was jailed by the Soviets; he was released in 1950 and moved to Munich, where the firm focused on affordable paperbacks. In 1952 the Red Series began, followed by the Yellow Series in 1953 for classics and fiction. The list also included science fiction, non-fiction, and atlases.

By 1970, Goldmann published thousands of titles and sold tens of millions of copies. After Wilhelm Goldmann’s death in 1974, the company faced stagnation. In 1977 Bertelsmann bought Goldmann, refocusing on best-sellers and trimming back non-core areas. Hardcover publishing declined for a while, but it returned in 1986 along with non-fiction expansion. In the 1980s Goldmann published German translations of Doctor Who novels and continued to publish crime fiction in its Red Series and other genres.

In 1998 Goldmann split some imprints off: Arkana Esoterica became Arkana Verlag, and Mosaic Publishing was launched; both now operate as independent imprints within Random House. That year Goldmann also published the 24-volume Goldmann Lexikon encyclopedia. Today Goldmann remains a major imprint of Penguin Random House, offering a broad mix of fiction and non-fiction. Notable authors published by Goldmann include Bill Bryson, Joy Fielding, Elizabeth George, Wladimir Kaminer, Richard David Precht, Lucinda Riley, Michael Robotham, and Donna Tartt. The German market has also seen strong sales of popular titles such as Fifty Shades of Grey, published by Goldmann in Germany.