(New York and London, 22 December 2004) Bloomsbury Publishing Plc of the UK, the adult, children's, and reference book publisher, announced today that it has acquired Walker Publishing Company, Inc of the USA.

Walker is a 45 year old New York based publisher of Adult nonfiction and Children's books. The business operations of Walker and Bloomsbury USA will be combined although the book imprints of both companies will remain as separate divisions withinthe US company. Completion of the sale is expected to take place on 31st December2004. Walker was represented by The van Tulleken Company.

Nigel Newton, founder and Chief Executive of Bloomsbury commented on the acquisition: "This is a very exciting move for Bloomsbury as completion of this acquisition would consolidate our position in the US publishing market. Walker has been established in America for 45 years and its imprints and publishing track record are well known in the industry. The combined force of the two operations will enable Bloomsbury to broaden its presence in the market and achieve its strategy of building a significant US publishing operation."

The new company will be run by Karen Rinaldi, publisher of Bloomsbury USA. George Gibson remains publisher of Walker & Co and will report to Karen Rinaldi. In commenting on the acquisition Ms. Rinaldi said: "I am thrilled with the opportunity to work with George Gibson, whose list I've admired for years. I can not think of a better addition to Bloomsbury USA. The two companies share so much in entrepreneurial spirit and editorial vision. I am certain that the joining of Bloomsbury and Walker will make each group stronger and result in a combined company poised for tremendous success."

During the course of its 45 year history, Walker Publishing Company, Inc, founded by Samuel S. Walker, Jr, has published Isaac Asimov and, on it's children's list, Barbara Cooney and Tomie De Paola. More recently they have published Dava Sobel's bestsellers, Longitude and Galileo's Daughter, Mark Kurlansky's Cod and Salt and Ross King's Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling along with Judith Finchler's children's classic, Testing Miss Malarkey, illustrated by Kevin O'Malley.

Walker Publisher, George Gibson had this to say about the acquisition: "Over time, as the marketplace has become increasingly competitive we clearly saw the benefits of scale, but finding the right fit was key. As Bloomsbury shares our passion for authors and readers and for finding innovative ways of reaching them, combining the two companies will make each one stronger. I have long admired Karen Rinaldi's creativity and energy, and we really look forward to working with her and her talented colleagues."

Ramsey Walker said "Bloomsbury is a fantastic fit for Walker. Our respect for their team and Bloomsbury's commitment to building on Walker's legacy were key factors in the decision."

Bloomsbury USA is a general interest publisher of adult and children's books. Established in 1998, they are the publisher of the bestselling books Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Rats, Schott's Original Miscellany and Kitchen Confidential; other authors include Alan Hollinghurst, Doug Coupland, Melissa Fay Greene, Kevin Conley, and David Leavitt.

Bloomsbury USA's children's list was launched in 2002 and includes such bestsellers as Faerie Wars by Herbie Brennan; other authors include Margaret Atwood, Dale Peck, Celia Rees and Shannon Hale. In the UK, Bloomsbury is the publisher of JK Rowling's Harry Potter series, Margaret Atwood, John Irving and Michael Ondaatje, Joanna Trollope and Ben Schott.

About The van Tulleken Company: The van Tulleken Company is a leading international advisor to corporate clients, media executives and entrepreneurs on mergers and acquisitions in the publishing and information industries. With offices in New York and London, it clients include large international publishing and media companies as well as small and medium-sized private firms in the United States, the United Kingdom and Continental Europe.