Profile Books was founded on April Fool’s Day in 1996 by Andrew Franklin and Stephen Brough to publish stimulating non-fiction in a wide range of fields, including history, business, economics, science and biography, with a sprinkling of humour.

Bestsellers over the years have included Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss (more than 3 million copies sold worldwide) and the New Scientist ‘Last Word’ series, which has sold over 2.5 million copies to date. Bestselling authors include Mary Beard, Alan Bennett, Simon Garfield, Francis Fukuyama, Simon Jenkins and Atul Gawande.

Since its beginning, Profile has published books under the Economist Books imprint, in association with The Economist. The annual Pocket World in Figures is approaching its 30^th edition and recent titles range from the Christmas bestseller Go Figure to Bill Emmott’s landmark political essay, The Fate of the West.