Irwin
Irwin (Richard D. Irwin Inc.) was a Homewood, Illinois, textbook publisher, sold by Dow Jones to Times Mirror in 1988 and to McGraw-Hill in 1996.
- Editions tracked
- 50
- First editions
- 46
- Books
- 47
- Years
- 1953 to 1996
About Irwin
Irwin, in full Richard D. Irwin Inc., was an American textbook publisher based in Homewood, Illinois, whose list passed to McGraw-Hill in 1996.
Library records give the imprint as R. D. Irwin, Homewood, Illinois: Open Library's record for the 1978 textbook Selling by James F. Robeson, H. Lee Mathews and Carl G. Stevens is one example. We have not been able to confirm the firm's founding date or founder from a reliable source.
In the 1980s Irwin belonged to Dow Jones & Company. In 1988 the Times Mirror Company paid Dow Jones $135 million for it, a purchase that took Times Mirror into textbook publishing. In 1996 Times Mirror sold its textbook operations to McGraw-Hill, and a McGraw-Hill investor presentation lists the 1996 purchase of Times Mirror Higher Education among its main education acquisitions.
How to spot a Irwin first edition
We have not yet written the guide to Irwin's first-edition conventions. Until we do, check each book's own page: we list its points where we know them. Know how Irwin marked its firsts? Tell us.
AuthorsLloyd L. Byars (2)Richard B. Chase (2)E. Jerome McCarthy (2)Donald A. Neamen (2)Arthur O'Sullivan (2)Robert Newton Anthony (1)Dennis R. Appleyard (1)Christian Arens (1)William F. Arens (1)Paul A. Argenti (1)
Published by Irwin
Frequently asked questions
How do I identify an Irwin first edition?
Check the title page and the copyright page: a Irwin 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 Irwin books does MyVolumes track?
We track 50 editions published by Irwin, 46 of them first editions, across 47 books.
Where these facts come from
- Times Mirror Company, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- The Times Mirror Company, Company Histories (company-histories.com)
- The Times Mirror Company, Encyclopedia.com (encyclopedia.com)
- Leadership position in markets with excellent growth prospects, McGraw-Hill investor presentation (media.corporate-ir.net)
- Selling (1978), Open Library (openlibrary.org)
Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 17 October 2026.