By the close of the last millennium Dorling Kindersley had become one of the most recognisable brands in publishing. Across the range of illustrated household reference titles, from children's books to travel guides, its distinctive look of colourful images cut out against a white background could be seen on bookshelves throughout the country – and indeed the publishing world. Apart from three minor acquisitions, DK had grown organically over 25 years to be a publicly listed company with...