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Rand McNally & Company is the preeminent American publisher of maps, atlases, and globes for travel, reference, commercial, and educational uses. It also provides online consumer street maps and directions, as well as commercial transportation routing software and mileage data. The company is headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Skokie, Illinois with additional offices in Irvine, California and Markham, Ontario and a distribution center in Richmond, Kentucky.

History

In 1856, William Rand opened a printing shop in Chicago and two years later hired a newly-arrived Irish immigrant, Andrew McNally, to work in his shop. The shop did big business with the forerunner of the Chicago Tribune, and in 1859 Rand and McNally were hired to run the Tribune's entire printing operation. In 1868, the two men formally established Rand McNally & Co. and bought out the Tribune's printing business. The company initially focused on printing tickets and timetables for Chicago's booming railroad industry, and the following year supplemented that business by publishing complete railroad guides. In 1870, the company expanded into printing business directories and an illustrated newspaper, the People's Weekly. According to company lore, during the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, Rand McNally quickly had two of the company's printing machines buried in a sandy beach of Lake Michigan, and the company was up and running again only a few days later.

The very first Rand McNally map, created using a new cost-saving wax engraving method, appeared in the December 1872 edition of its Railroad Guide. Rand McNally became an incorporated business in 1873, with Rand as its president and McNally as vice president. The Business Atlas, containing maps and data pertinent to business planning, was first published in 1876. The atlas is still updated today, now titled the Commercial Atlas & Marketing Guide. The Trade Book department was established in 1877, publishing such titles as The Locust Plague in the United States. Rand McNally began publishing educational maps in 1880 with its first line of maps, globes, and geography textbooks, soon followed by a world atlas. The company began publishing general literature in 1884 with its first title, The Secret of Success, and the Textbook department was established in 1894 with The Rand McNally Primary School Geography. Also in 1894, the company opened an office in New York City headed by Caleb S. Hammond, who later started his own map company.

By 1899, the company employed nearly 700 people. William Rand retired and sold his interest to the other company officers. Andrew McNally assumed the role of president until his death in 1904. Rand died the following year. Andrew's son, Frederick McNally, became president of the company upon his father's death, just as the age of the automobile was beginning. Rand McNally's first road map, the New Automobile Road Map of New York City & Vicinity, was published in 1904. When Frederick McNally died in 1907, his sister's husband, Henry Beach Clow, became president. In 1910, the company acquired the line of Photo-Auto Guides from G.S. Chapin, which provided photographs of routes and intersections with directions. Andrew McNally II (son of Frederick McNally) personally took photos on his honeymoon for the Chicago-to-Milwaukee edition. The company continued to expand its book publishing business, with best-selling children's books such as The Real Mother Goose (1916) and Kon-Tiki (1950).

Rand McNally was the first major map publisher to embrace a system of numbered highways. One of its cartographers, John Brink, invented a system that was first published in 1917 on a map of Peoria, Illinois. In addition to creating maps with numbered roads, Rand McNally also erected many of the actual roadside highway signs. This system was subsequently adopted by state and federal highway authorities. The oil industry quickly developed an interest in road maps, enticing Americans to explore and consume more gasoline. In 1920, Rand McNally began publishing road maps for the Gulf Oil Company, to be freely distributed at its service stations. By 1930, Rand McNally had two major road map competitors, General Drafting and Gousha, the latter of which was founded by a former Rand McNally sales representative. The Rand McNally Auto Chum, later to become the ubiquitous Rand McNally Road Atlas, was first published in 1924. The first full-color edition was published in 1960. It became fully digitized in 1993.

The Goode's School Atlas, named for its first editor, Dr. J. Paul Goode, was published in 1922. It became a standard text for high school and college geography curricula. Later retitled Goode's World Atlas, it is now in its 21 edition.

Andrew McNally II took over as president in 1933. He and his heirs, Andrew McNally III and IV, successively served as president until 1993.

The first Rand McNally Travel Store was opened in New York City in 1937. In the 1990s it was turned into a chain with 29 locations, but by 2005 all had been closed as a cost-saving measure.

Rand McNally moved its headquarters from Chicago to suburban Skokie, Illinois in 1952. The company opened its Versailles, Kentucky, book publishing plant in 1962 with 300,000 square feet and 23 employees. In 1994, the plant was the first to implement a new Kodak computer-to-plate printing system. When the plant was sold in 1997, it was over 1,000,000 square feet and employed 1,255 people.

In 1963, because the company was not satisfied with the ability of existing map projections to create intuitive depictions of the entire world, they commissioned Dr. Arthur H. Robinson to develop what became known as the Robinson projection, which became very popular and was used extensively for constructing maps of the entire world.

Rand McNally acquired Transportation Data Management in 1980, which brought Rand's mapping expertise with TDM's software-based transportation products.

Rand McNally began creating maps digitally in 1982. In 1984, the company acquired the assets of the Denoyer-Geppert Company, a leading school map and globe publisher. In 1988, Rand acquired Champion Map and its facilities in Daytona Beach, Florida, which was later closed in 2001.

On 18 April 1996, the 82 employees of the H. M. Gousha Company, one of Rand McNally's longtime rivals, found their Comfort, Texas, building locked up with a note taped to the door stating that the company had been purchased by Rand McNally and all their jobs had been eliminated.

In 1989, Rand McNally donated its extensive collection of its maps to the Newberry Library. Now in possession of Gousha's archives as well, Rand McNally donated that map archive to the Newberry in late 2002.

Rand McNally acquired Allmaps Canada in 1993, subsequently becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary company, Rand McNally Canada.

With a string of acquisitions and growth throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Rand McNally employed over 4,000 people in four business groups. The company had been majority-owned by the McNally family since 1899, but by 1997 the family had decided to divest its interest in the company. In January 1997, the company announced it was selling its Book Services Group, which employed 1,700 people in Versailles, Kentucky and Taunton, Massachusetts, to World Color Press for $155 million. In February 1997, the DocuSystems Group was sold to Code Hennessy & Simmons, a Chicago-based private equity firm. In April 1997, the Media Services Group, which employed 350 people with offices in Nashville, Tennessee; Fremont, California; Shannon, Ireland; and the Asia-Pacific region, was sold to McQueen, a Scottish software company.

The sole remaining group, publishing, represented the core geographic businesses of the company. In November 1997, the McNally family completed its divestiture by selling its majority ownership to AEA Investors for a reported $500 million. Much of the purchase price was "leveraged," meaning that the company took on a significant debt load hedging on future earnings. On 29 March 1999, Rand McNally finalized its acquisition of Thomas Bros. Maps, the prominent Southern California mapmaker best known for its ubiquitous Thomas Guide. While company name "Thomas Bros. Maps" is no longer used, Rand McNally continues to brand its products as "The Thomas Guide" in select markets, primarily in the western U.S. On 4 May 1999, Rand McNally purchased King of the Road, a regional map publisher and distributor based in the Pacific Northwest, which had a previous partnership with Thomas Bros. King of the Road titles are no longer available.

AEA's stake in the company was acquired by Leonard Green & Partners through a prepackaged Chapter 11 restructuring deal on 15 January 2003. Rand McNally emerged from bankruptcy less than 60 days later, shedding more than $250 million in debt.

Products

• Childrens'

Our award-winning children’s products offer a wide range of educational and fun activities for family road trips or for home. Our colorful, fun-fi lled books and comprehensive map skills tools introduce kids to the road and keep them entertained. From Backseat Books® and Illustrated Atlases, to our Schoolhouse fl ashcards and games, these products are a hit with parents and kids.

• New for 2007-08

Easy-to-Read edition that features maps that are 20 percent larger and larger print, too; Same coverage, same content, just larger maps. Rand McNally and Harley-Davidson® The Ride Atlas of North America is a perfect companion for weekend cruising or cross-country rides on your motorcycle; With a durable, rubber-like cover, this rugged little atlas contains route suggestions that help riders navigate off the beaten path by highlighting secondary routes. Pro-Series Thomas Guide® provides for contractors, real estate agents, and other professionals have been laminating their Thomas Guides. Save your customers time and money with the new laminated Pro-Series Thomas Guide® editions. The lamination allows users to mark directly on the pages, then wipe them clean. Built for professionals, these guides are work-site approved to stand up to the toughest abuse. Rand McNally Getaway Guides arm travelers with the information they need for a great weekend getaway or day trip. Specially-designed regional road maps are clear and easy to read. Every point of interest mentioned in the guide is featured on a local map for easy navigation. The new Rand McNally fabMAP™ features easy-to-read maps, points of interest, and shopping and dining information. The fabMAP™ is easy to use and won’t tear or wrinkle. Crumple it up and stuff it anywhere. The Ultimate NASCAR Road Trip Guide rev up your road trip with this exciting new title contains the insider information every race fan needs for the 31 NASCAR-sanctioned tracks. The guide includes a mid-sized road atlas and is perfect for road trips to NASCAR tracks and surrounding areas.

• Reference Maps & Books

Beautiful and rich in detail, our geographical reference products offer a closer look at the changing world and fill a variety of reference needs in the home, school, or office. Our reputation for exceptional digital cartography and breathtaking photos makes these authoritative atlases and wall maps exactly what customers are looking for.

• Road Atlases

Rand McNally road atlases have become indispensable companions for road trip travelers around the country. Our reliable products are packed with constantly updated maps and on-the-go features to fi ll a variety of needs, making them essential travel tools. The widely recognized Rand McNally name means you’re getting travel solutions you can depend on. State Road Atlas coverages titles are: Arizona, California, Carolinas, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Ohio, Pacific Northwest, and Texas.

• Road & Travel Maps

From point A to point B and every point in between, Rand McNally is renowned for detailed, accurate maps that help travelers make the most of their journey. Whether it’s local travel in a major city or vacation travel to a remote destination, we carry the street map that gets you there every time.

• Street Guides & Wall Maps

Rand McNally’s street guides and wall maps are just what you need to cross town easily and quickly. Our street guides combine comprehensive coverage areas with the street-level detail that drivers need for day-to-day navigating. Our wall maps offer full street indexes and enhanced digital cartography to ensure that you stay updated on the newest roads and points of interest. Find out why long-time residents rely on Rand McNally street guides and wall maps to lead the way. Annual edition Street Guides are: Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, Portland, Orlando, Sacramento, St. Louis, San Antonio, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, Tucson Metro Areas.

Humor and trivia

• The company has always been named "Rand McNally," but it has been jocularly referred to as "Rand and McNally," as in the opening to O. Henry's story, A Municipal Report: "...it is a rash one who will lay his finger on the map and say: 'In this town there can be no romance—what could happen here?' Yes, it is a bold and a rash deed to challenge in one sentence history, romance, and Rand and McNally."

• In an episode of The Simpsons, Bart vs. Australia, the Rand McNally logo on the globe was mistaken by Bart for a continent named Rand McNally; Lisa mocks him saying "In fact, in Rand McNally, people wear hats on their feet and hamburgers eat people."

• In an episode of ALF, Willie finds a map in Alf's spaceship, entitled "Rand McNally Map to Space".

• Bing Crosby used to tell of a fishing spot so secret that Rand would not tell McNally.

• Jason Mraz has a song titled "Dream Life Of Rand McNally" which can be heard on the album Live at Java Joe's as well as on fan traded audience recordings. It tells the story of a man who travels the world and experiences a bunch of crazy things.

References

1. Wilken, Earl (1 December 1994) "Rand McNally adds Kodak CTP system". Graphic Arts Monthly
2. http://www.warnercnr.colostate.edu/class_info/nr502/lg2/projection_descriptions/robinson.html
3. MacCormack, John (19 April 1996). "Map firm's jobs hit the road". San Antonio Express-News
4. http://www.newberry.org/smith/Mapline/96/96feature.html
5. http://www.answers.com/topic/rand-mcnally-company
6. http://www.secinfo.com/dnPQq.67.7.htm
7. http://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/stories/1997/02/03/daily2.html
8. http://www.chsonline.com/partners/Investments.htm
9. http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=11229
10. http://www.shannonsoft.ie/profile.html
11. ^ http://www.leonardgreen.com/news/011503-latimes-n.html
12. http://www.directionsmag.com/press.releases/index.php?duty=Show&id=31
13. http://www.directionsmag.com/press.releases/index.php?duty=Show&id=530
14. http://www.leonardgreen.com/news/040703-rand-n.pdf

• "Mapping A Life's Journey: The Legacy of Andrew McNally III" by Janice A. Petterchak, privately printed by Rand McNally, 1995. Library of Congress 95-068047

External links

• Rand McNally & Company
• Rand McNally Canada
• Online digitized versions of Rand, McNally & Co's 1879 Business Atlas and 1897 Indexed Atlas of the World at DavidRumsey.com.

• Companies established in 1856
• Media companies of the United States
• Companies based in Illinois
• Map companies of the United States