Dorling Kindersley

DK was founded as a book-packaging company by Peter Kindersley and Christopher Dorling in London in 1974, and in 1982 moved into publishing. The first book published under the DK name was a First Aid Manual for the British voluntary medical services; this book established the company's distinctive visual style of copiously illustrated text on a glossy white background. DK Inc. began publishing in the United States in 1991.

The DK Star Wars contract was signed in 1997, and the company had published Star Wars books ever since.

In 2000, DK was acquired by the Pearson PLC media company, which also owns the Penguin Books label; in the same year, Kindersley retired and was replaced as Chief Executive by Anthony Forbes Watson.

In Germany the Star Wars books from Dorling Kindersley are published by VGS, a brand of the Disney publisher Egmont Ehapa Verlag, even though DK has a German subsidiary.

DK Publishing is one of the creators of Star Wars Reads Day, an annual celebration held in bookstores and libraries.