1836–1977

Joshua Ballinger Lippincott (March 18, 1813 – January 5, 1886)^[2] founded the publishing company in Philadelphia when he was 23 years old. J. B. Lippincott & Co. began business publishing Bibles and prayer books before expanding into history, biography, fiction, poetry, and gift books. The company later added almanacs, medicine and law, school textbooks, and dictionaries.

In 1849, Lippincott acquired Grigg, Elliot & Co., a significant publisher and wholesaler whose origins dated back to printer and bookseller Benjamin and Jacob Johnson in 1792. In 1850 J. B. Lippincott & Co. became Lippincott, Grambo & Co. but reverted to its former name in 1855. The company was incorporated in 1878 as J. B. Lippincott Company.

Lippincott published the first textbook of nursing in the U.S. in 1878 and the first issue of the American Journal of Nursing in 1900.^[3] By the end of the 19th century, Lippincott was one of the largest and best-known publishers in the world.^[1]: 16 Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, a popular periodical containing a complete novel, short stories, poetry, and opinion, was published in the U.S. and the UK from 1868 to 1914. During the 20th century Lippincott also became a major publisher of schoolbooks for elementary and high school education and of references, textbooks, and journals in medicine and nursing.^{[1]: 44–48} In 1961, Lippincott acquired the religious publisher A. J. Holman,^[4] which was headquartered in the A.J. Holman and Company building.

1978–1995

In 1978, J. B. Lippincott Company was acquired by Harper & Row Publishers, Inc. A. J. Holman was sold to the Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1979.^[5] Lippincott's trade, juvenile and elementary and high school divisions were merged into Harper's. The remaining publishing activities, in medicine, nursing, and allied health, were combined with Harper's programs to form "J.B. Lippincott - the Health Professions Publisher of Harper & Row". In 1990, Lippincott was acquired by Wolters Kluwer N.V. of The Netherlands. J. B. Lippincott Company celebrated its 200th anniversary in 1992.^{[1]: 44–48}

1996–present

Wolters Kluwer merged Lippincott with its other medical publisher, Raven Press, in 1996 to form Lippincott-Raven Publishers. In 1998 Wolters Kluwer acquired medical publisher Williams & Wilkins and combined it with Lippincott-Raven to form Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. After further internal reorganization at Wolters Kluwer in 2002, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins ceased to exist as an operational entity; instead, the names Lippincott Williams & Wilkins and Lippincott are now used solely as publishing imprints of Wolters Kluwer Health.