Brown Son and Ferguson (1850 - present)

Brown Son and Ferguson (1850 - present) are nautical publishers based in Glasgow, Scotland. The firm was founded around 1850 as a stationer servicing the nautical trade. Their location, near the docks, caused them to focus on nautical matters, printing navigation manuals, nautical charts, logbooks, and more. Founded in 1850 by James Brown, who was soon accompanied by his son Robert Brown, the firm began as a retail stationery business. In 1876, the firm published the first issue of Brown's Nautical Almanac, which was one of its first publications. Commonly known as 'The Sailor's Bible', Brown's Nautical Almanac is published annually and is still published to this day. The only exception was the September 1960 issue, when a fire ravaged the company's offices, including that month's issue of the Almanac. Brown, Son, and Ferguson published the Almanac monthly until December 2011, when Seabreezes Publications on the Isle of Man bought the magazine A history of the firm written by the current management suggest that Ferguson joined firm around 1939, but we have found the 'Brown Son and Ferguson' imprint on charts and other publications that can date no later than 1933. The firm registered as a Limited company in 1921. Decedents of the original founders still run the business from offices in Glasgow.