UK-based book publisher Bloomsbury Publishing plc (LON:BMY) announced on Friday that it has decided to sell the assets associated with Who's Who and Who Was Who, ending its publication of the historic reference works.

The 2027 edition, due to be published on 7 December 2026, will be the 179th Who's Who and Bloomsbury's final edition. First published in 1849 and in its current autobiographical format since 1897, the publication features entries covering prominent figures across politics, law, business, science, medicine, the arts, academia and other fields.

Bloomsbury said the sale represents an investment opportunity for a buyer to preserve and develop the publications while building on their heritage and cultural relevance. The 13-volume Who Was Who provides a historical record of notable figures from the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries and is used by researchers and genealogists.

The online edition, including access to Who Was Who, has been licensed to Oxford University Press since 2005 and updated annually.

Who's Who 2027 will contain 2,720 pages and is priced at GBP420.