Publisher · founded 1942 · Boston
Addison-Wesley
Addison-Wesley is a technical and textbook publisher founded in 1942 by Lew and Melbourne Cummings, home of The Feynman Lectures and Knuth, and a Pearson imprint since 1988.
- Editions tracked
- 111
- First editions
- 84
- Books
- 91
- Years
- 1950 to 2010
About Addison-Wesley
Addison-Wesley is an American publisher of textbooks and technical books. Lew Addison Cummings and Melbourne Wesley Cummings founded it in 1942, and it is now a Pearson imprint best known for computing and science titles.
The firm took its name from the founders' middle names. Its first book was Mechanics by the MIT physicist Francis Weston Sears, and it soon built a reputation in mathematics and science. In 1977 it bought W. A. Benjamin Company and merged it with its Cummings division to form Benjamin Cummings.
Addison-Wesley's most famous books include The Feynman Lectures on Physics by Richard Feynman, Robert B. Leighton and Matthew Sands, Donald Knuth's The Art of Computer Programming and Concrete Mathematics, The Mythical Man-Month, The C++ Programming Language and Design Patterns by Gamma, Helm, Johnson and Vlissides.
Pearson bought the company in 1988 and combined it with Longman as Addison-Wesley Longman. In 1997 the general trade division was sold to the Perseus Books Group. In 1998 Pearson merged Simon & Schuster's educational business into Addison-Wesley Longman to create Pearson Education. The former Addison Wesley Longman offices moved from Reading, Massachusetts, to Boston in 2004. The Addison-Wesley name continues at Pearson, notably as Addison-Wesley Professional for IT books.
How to spot a Addison-Wesley first edition
We have not yet written the guide to Addison-Wesley's first-edition conventions. Until we do, check each book's own page: we list its points where we know them. Know how Addison-Wesley marked its firsts? Tell us.
AuthorsAlfred Aho (4)Richard Feynman (3)Christine D. Abbott (2)Allen R. Angel (2)Marvin L. Bittinger (2)Robert J. Brooker (2)David K. Cheng (2)John Daniels (2)John D. Daniels (2)Christopher J. Date (2)
Books
Published by Addison-Wesley
Frequently asked questions
How do I identify an Addison-Wesley first edition?
Check the title page and the copyright page: a Addison-Wesley first edition gives the first date of publication with no later impression or edition stated. Each book's page here lists its own points.
How many Addison-Wesley books does MyVolumes track?
We track 111 editions published by Addison-Wesley, 84 of them first editions, across 91 books.
Where these facts come from
- Addison-Wesley, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- Pearson Education, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- Pearson, Northern Illinois University Libraries publisher histories (ulib.niu.edu)
Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 17 October 2026.