Thomas Nelson History: Shifting Vision

Beyond the setbacks of fire, bombings, and death, however, was a deeper issue affecting the company: it had begun struggling with its sense of direction and vision. Commitment to the founder's original mission began to wane.

In the early 1900's, Thomas Nelson and Sons was one of the largest publishers in the world. Yet by the century's midpoint it had declined significantly. Its direction had shifted from producing overtly Christian materials to offering popular "coffee table" books on any number of subjects. While the company moved aggressively into the educational market, becoming one of the United Kingdom's premier textbook publishers, it nevertheless began to struggle financially.

Across the Atlantic, meanwhile, Nelson's American branch was fast becoming an influential publisher of Bibles and books. All across the nation a Nelson Bible could be found in nearly every hotel bedroom. In 1901, Nelson had introduced the innovative American Standard Version. The Revised Standard Version New Testament made its debut in 1946, with the complete Bible released in 1952. This translation became phenomenally successful with three million copies sold worldwide in the first two years.

In 1960, Thomas Nelson and Sons was merged with The Thomson Organization, a worldwide publishing and communications firm. The new management separated the editorial and printing enterprises and sold the Edinburgh printing and binding operations. Nelson increased its focus on publishing reference works and school textbooks in all subjects.

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