Hyping books; boosting the public's interest in ... some get a double-page spread. In typical Dorling Kindersley style, the illustrations are an essential part of the package.

Around the turn of the millennium, Dorling Kindersley was in trouble when it printed 18 million copies of Star Wars books. More than 10 million didn't sell, which led to DK's collapse and purchase ...

Dorling Kindersley was acquired by Pearson in 2000 for £311m after it ran into financial difficulties, having placed excessive orders for Star Wars-branded books that it was unable to sell.