Private company

Ian Allan Publishing Ltd

UK publisher of transport books

Ian Allan Publishing was an English publisher, established in 1942, which specialised in transport books. It was founded by Ian Allan. In 1942, Ian Allan, then working in the public relations department for the Southern Railway at Waterloo station, decided he could deal with many of the requests he received about rolling stock by collecting the information into a book.² Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

Nov 23, 1945Founded¹

HeadquartersShepperton¹
Websitewww.ianallanpublishing.com

See how the biggest companies compare on our leaderboards

Shepperton, Ian Allan Ltd - geograph.org.uk - 1078155 — Photo: Nigel Cox, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons⁴

Ian Allan Publishing was an English publisher, established in 1942, which specialised in transport books. It was founded by Ian Allan.²

Corporate structure

Ian Allan Publishing Ltd sits at the top of its group. 2 entities, 1 country on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

Ian Allan Publishing Ltd Shepperton
- Midland Publishing Subsidiary

Built from subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0); major holders from Schedules 13D and 13G. Each entity in the chart links to its source.

What it owns

What Ian Allan Publishing Ltd reports owning in its annual reports to the SEC: buildings, land and equipment, real estate and locations, investments, intangible assets and inventory, at the end of its latest fiscal year and a year before.

Stakes and holdings (Wikidata)

Midland Publishing

Things Wikidata records the company as owning, with the share when stated.¹

The story

Founded by Ian Allan on Nov 23, 1945.¹

Leadership

Who has led Ian Allan Publishing Ltd, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

FounderIan Allan¹

Products and brands

The company formerly had stores at Cardiff (closed 2015), Manchester Piccadilly (closed 2016), Birmingham (closed 2019) and London at Lower Marsh (closed 2020).

From Wikipedia’s article on Ian Allan Publishing, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.³

Subsidiaries and ownership

Also owns

Midland Publishing since 1999

From Wikidata.¹

Acquisitions

1999Acquired Midland Publishing¹

Ian Allan Publishing acquired several companies and imprints.

Locomotive Publishing Company in 1956

Oxford Publishing Company, acquired in 1998 from Haynes Publishing

Midland Publishing, acquired in 1999. The Midland imprint provides a range of specialist, highly illustrated titles, covering military aviation subjects from World War II to the present day. In civil aviation, comprehensive works of reference are published frequently.

Read the full text

Classic Publications, a publisher of aviation titles, was added in 2002, bringing another imprint widely considered important in the World War II aviation market.

Ian Allan Publishing's trade representation is provided by Amalgamated Book Services for its own imprints and a growing list of associated publishers. Midland Counties Publications, acquired by Ian Allan Publishing at the same time as Midland Publishing, was established in the 1970s with the objective of selling books at aviation events and by mail order to a growing number of enthusiasts who could not always find the publications they wanted to read on the shelves of their local bookshop.

In addition to the above, Ian Allan also owns the imprint Lewis Masonic. Lewis Masonic produces the ritual books used by lodges and chapters under the United Grand Lodge of England. Ian Allan Publishing also published an extensive catalogue of general Masonic publications, but from the 1990s these were also transferred to the Lewis Masonic imprint, alongside the ritual books.