The story
In the 1960s, the Brooke Bond Tea Company began including a series of military aircraft cards with its tea packages. The cards proved popular, and artist Dick Ward proposed publishing illustrated books about military aircraft. The idea was approved, and a small subsidiary company, Osprey, was formed in 1968. The company published its first book, North American P-51D Mustang in USAAF-USAF Service, in 1969. Soon after, Ward proposed trying the same idea with famous military units, and in 1971 the first Men-at-Arms title appeared. In the late 1970s, George Philip Ltd acquired the company. In 1988, Philip was acquired by Reed International; it was sold to the private equity firm Botts & Company.
During these years, the firm grew steadily, adding new titles and new series to their catalogue. Although they have produced books of all types, the main focus remains on military history, particularly the military history of Britain. Osprey Publishing now publishes an average of 10 to 12 books a month, the titles in their military series having by 2024 surpassed the 3,100 mark and still counting.
Shire Books was acquired in 2007, and the science fiction, fantasy and horror imprint Angry Robot was purchased from HarperCollins in 2010. The reprint house Old House was acquired in 2011. To continue expansion, a majority stake in Osprey was sold by Botts to Alcuin Capital Partners in 2011. In 2012, Osprey acquired Duncan Baird (later renamed Nourish) and its Watkins imprint. In 2013, Osprey acquired British Wildlife Publishing.
In 2014, Alcuin sold Osprey and its imprints to Bloomsbury Publishing. Angry Robot, Nourish, and Watkins went to Etan Ilfeld while Osprey, Shire, Old House, and British Wildlife went to Bloomsbury Publishing.
In 2026, Osprey Games, a board and card game division established in 2015, was put up for sale by Bloomsbury Publishing.
From Wikipedia’s article on Osprey Publishing, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4