K. G. Saur Verlag

K. G. Saur Verlag is a German academic and reference-publishing house based in Munich. Its publishing program has been oriented primarily toward libraries, researchers, information professionals, and institutions requiring authoritative bibliographic and biographical resources. The brand is particularly associated with reference works, national and retrospective bibliographies, indexing and cataloguing resources, library-science publications, and large-scale biographical information products. The company was established in 1949 by Karl-Otto Saur under the name Dokumentation Saur. Its founder had held a senior armaments-administration position in Nazi Germany, a biographical fact that forms part of the documented history of the publishing house. The business became economically successful under Karl-Otto Saur's son, Klaus Gerhard Saur, who assumed a leading role from 1966. During this period the company developed into a significant specialist publisher serving the German and international library and information communities. K. G. Saur's importance was built less on mass-market books than on durable reference infrastructure. Its publications have included major bibliographic compilations, directories, indexes, and scholarly reference series. One of the best-known achievements associated with the company was the completion in 1981 of a comprehensive retrospective catalogue of German-language publications, covering the German-speaking world. Such projects required extensive editorial coordination and were intended to support collection development, research, cataloguing, and bibliographic verification. The publisher also became associated with the German Biographical Encyclopedia, the Bibliotheca Teubneriana, and the World Biographical Information System. The latter is described as a large biographical information resource containing material on almost five million people, ranging chronologically from the fourth millennium BC to the modern era. These products illustrate the brand's focus on curated reference data and scholarly documentation rather than general trade publishing. K. G. Saur entered a succession of larger corporate ownership structures as specialist information publishing consolidated. Reed International acquired the company in 1987, and its British holdings were combined into the separate Bowker-Saur company. In 2000, Reed Elsevier sold K. G. Saur to the Gale Group, then a unit of Thomson Corporation. Walter de Gruyter acquired the publisher in 2006. Following the de Gruyter acquisition, the K. G. Saur name continued principally as a specialist imprint within the de Gruyter publishing group. Library-science series and related reference works have been continued under the De Gruyter Saur imprint. The brand therefore represents both a historically independent German reference publisher and an ongoing specialist publishing identity within Walter de Gruyter's academic and scholarly portfolio.

K. G. Saur Verlag was founded in Munich in 1949 by Karl-Otto Saur under the name Dokumentation Saur. The founder's wartime role as Chief of Armament Staff in Nazi Germany is a documented part of the company's background. The early business later developed into a successful specialist publisher, particularly after 1966, when Klaus Gerhard Saur, Karl-Otto Saur's son, became the central figure in its development. Under Klaus Gerhard Saur's leadership, the company established a strong position in scholarly and library-oriented reference publishing. Rather than concentrating on consumer trade books, it produced works designed to organize, describe, and preserve information for libraries and researchers. Its program included bibliographies, catalogues, indexes, biographical reference works, and publications in library and information science. A major bibliographic achievement associated with the publisher was the completion in 1981 of a comprehensive retrospective catalogue of German-language publications. The work served as a national bibliography for the German-speaking world and reflected the company's role in producing large-scale reference infrastructure. Other significant products included the German Biographical Encyclopedia, the Bibliotheca Teubneriana, and the World Biographical Information System. The latter assembled biographical information on almost five million people, with coverage extending from the fourth millennium BC to the present. The publishing house became part of the broader consolidation of specialist information and reference publishing. Reed International acquired K. G. Saur in 1987. Reed's British holdings were subsequently merged into a separate company known as Bowker-Saur, while K. G. Saur remained associated with the wider corporate publishing structure. In 2000, Reed Elsevier sold the business to the Gale Group, a Thomson Corporation unit. Walter de Gruyter acquired K. G. Saur in 2006. After that transaction, the brand continued as a specialist imprint within the de Gruyter group. Its library-science series and related reference publications were carried forward under the De Gruyter Saur imprint. This transition changed the publisher's corporate ownership but preserved its association with professional reference publishing, bibliographic scholarship, and library information services. The history of K. G. Saur is therefore defined by three connected phases: its establishment as Dokumentation Saur in postwar Germany; its expansion into a prominent academic and library-reference publisher under Klaus Gerhard Saur; and its incorporation into larger international publishing groups. In its current form, the name is principally encountered as a de Gruyter specialist imprint rather than as an independently operated publishing corporation.

• 2006

  Acquisition by Walter de Gruyter

  [1]K. G. Saur Verlagen.wikipedia.org

  Walter de Gruyter acquired K. G. Saur, after which the name continued as a specialist de Gruyter imprint.

• 2000

  Sale to the Gale Group

  [1]K. G. Saur Verlagen.wikipedia.org

  Reed Elsevier sold K. G. Saur to the Gale Group, a unit of the Thomson Corporation.

• 1987

  Acquisition by Reed International

  [1]K. G. Saur Verlagen.wikipedia.org

  Reed International acquired K. G. Saur as part of the consolidation of specialist publishing and information businesses.

• 1981

  Completion of a comprehensive German-language publications catalogue

  [1]K. G. Saur Verlagen.wikipedia.org

  K. G. Saur completed a major retrospective catalogue of German-language publications covering the German-speaking world.

• 1966

  Expansion under Klaus Gerhard Saur

  [1]K. G. Saur Verlagen.wikipedia.org

  The company became economically successful and expanded its specialist publishing activities under Klaus Gerhard Saur, the founder's son.

• 1949

  Foundation as Dokumentation Saur

  [1]K. G. Saur Verlagen.wikipedia.org

  Karl-Otto Saur founded the Munich-based publishing business under the name Dokumentation Saur.

Specialist academic and library-reference publishing

• Biographical reference work

  German Biographical Encyclopedia

  A major biographical reference publication associated with K. G. Saur's scholarly program. It provides structured biographical information on figures connected with German-speaking history and culture and exemplifies the publisher's emphasis on authoritative research tools for libraries and academic users.

• Classical-text scholarly series

  Bibliotheca Teubneriana

  A scholarly series associated with the Teubner tradition of publishing critical editions of classical texts. Its inclusion in the K. G. Saur program reflects the publisher's role in specialized academic and reference publishing rather than general trade production.

• Biographical information resource

  World Biographical Information System

  A large-scale biographical information system containing records on almost five million people. Its chronological scope extends from the fourth millennium BC to the present, making it a major example of the publisher's work in aggregating and organizing reference information for research and library use.

• National bibliography · 1981

  Comprehensive Catalogue of German-Language Publications

  A retrospective national-bibliography project covering German-language publications across the German-speaking world. Completed in 1981, it provided libraries and researchers with a broad cataloguing and discovery resource for historical German-language publishing.

• Library and information-science publishing · 2006

  De Gruyter Saur library-science imprint

  Following the 2006 acquisition by Walter de Gruyter, K. G. Saur's library-science series and related works continued under the De Gruyter Saur imprint. The imprint preserves the brand's association with professional library, bibliography, information-management, and reference publishing.

• 2006

  Acquisition by Walter de GruyterM&A

  Background

  K. G. Saur was an established specialist in bibliographic, biographical, and library-reference publishing.

  Action taken

  Walter de Gruyter acquired K. G. Saur from the Gale Group.

  Aftermath

  The K. G. Saur name continued as a de Gruyter specialist imprint, with library-science series and related reference works published under the De Gruyter Saur identity.

  Source

• 2000

  Sale from Reed Elsevier to the Gale GroupM&A

  Background

  Reed Elsevier reorganized its specialist publishing portfolio and sold K. G. Saur to the Gale Group, which was then part of the Thomson Corporation.

  Action taken

  The Gale Group acquired K. G. Saur from Reed Elsevier.

  Aftermath

  K. G. Saur continued as part of a major information and reference-publishing group until its subsequent acquisition by Walter de Gruyter.

  Source

• 1987

  Acquisition by Reed InternationalM&A

  Background

  K. G. Saur had developed into a substantial specialist reference publisher and became part of the consolidation of international publishing and information businesses.

  Action taken

  Reed International acquired K. G. Saur. Reed's British holdings were later combined into the separate Bowker-Saur company.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition placed the German reference publisher within a larger international corporate structure while maintaining its specialist publishing identity.

  Source

1. 1K. G. Saur Verlagen.wikipedia.org
2. 2De Gruyter Saur imprintdegruyter.com