study guide
Study guides can be broad based to facilitate learning in a number of areas, or be resources that foster comprehension of literature, research topics, history, and other subjects.
General topics include study and testing strategies; reading, wr ...
s. The guides present and create literary and other works in
pamphlet
A pamphlet is an unbound book (that is, without a hard cover or binding). Pamphlets may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths, called a ''leaflet'' or it may consist of a ...
form or online. Detractors of the study guides claim they let students bypass reading the assigned literature. The company claims to promote the reading of the original work and does not view the study guides as a substitute for that reading.
Clifton Hillegass
Clifton K. Hillegass (18 April 1918 in Rising City, Nebraska – 5 May 2001 in Lincoln, Nebraska) was the creator and publisher of ''CliffsNotes''.
''CliffsNotes'' are study guides that assist college and high school students in their literature ...
in 1958. He was working at Nebraska Book Company of Lincoln, Nebraska, when he met Jack Cole, the co-owner of Coles, a Toronto book business. Coles published a series of Canadian study guides called
Coles Notes Coles Notes are student guides to literature, published in Canada. The Coles bookstore first published Coles Notes in 1948. The first title published was on the French novella ''Colomba'' by Prosper Mérimée.William Shakespeare titles. By 1964 sales reached one million Notes annually. CliffsNotes now exist for hundreds of works. The term "Cliff's Notes" has now become a
proprietary eponym
A generic trademark, also known as a genericized trademark or proprietary eponym, is a trademark or brand name that, because of its popularity or significance, has become the generic term for, or synonymous with, a general class of products or ...
for similar products.
IDG Books purchased CliffsNotes in 1998 for $14.2 million. John Wiley & Sons acquired IDG Books (renamed Hungry Minds) in 2001. In 2011, CliffsNotes announced a joint venture with Mark Burnett, a TV producer. This would be a series of 60-second video
study guide
Study guides can be broad based to facilitate learning in a number of areas, or be resources that foster comprehension of literature, research topics, history, and other subjects.
General topics include study and testing strategies; reading, wr ...
s of literary works. In 2012, CliffsNotes was acquired by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (; HMH) is an American publisher of textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers and adults. The company is based in the Financial Dist ...
. In 2021, CliffsNotes was acquired by Course Hero.
Other guides
In addition to guides for literature, the company produces several other series of guides, including:
*CliffsQuickReview: A quick reference for information on scholastic subjects, such as sciences, mathematics, and history.
*CliffsComplete: Similar to regular CliffsNotes, but also includes notes and commentary.
*CliffsAP: Advanced placement study guides, including action plans, test-taking strategies, reviews, and exercises.
*CliffsStudySolver: A learn-by-mastering approach to algebra, Spanish, grammar, and other subjects.
*CliffsTestPrep: Test preparation guides for the LSAT, SATs, GED, and other tests.
*Shakespeare on the Double!: The original Shakespeare text side-by-side with a contemporary English version.
*The Manga Editions: Based on the traditional manga format.
BookRags
Ambassadors Group, Inc. is a defunct publicly traded educational travel company based in Spokane, Washington. It was originally an operating division of Ambassadors International, Inc., but was divested into a separate corporation in 2002 to form ...
Masterplots
Masterplots is a reference book series which summarizes the plots of significant works of literature and films.Staff report (January 22, 1950). Recent Revision Extends 'Masterplots' Usefulness. ''Los Angeles Times'' The first edition was published ...
Shmoop
Shmoop University Inc. (popularly known as Shmoop) is a for-profit online educational technology company that specializes in test preparation materials, mental health tools, and learning content for K-12 schools. Shmoop offers free study guides ...
York Notes
York Notes are a series of English literature study guides sold in the United Kingdom and in approximately 100 countries worldwide.
They are sold as revision material for GCSE and A-level exams particularly as literary guides to introduce stude ...