The Publishing House

Wilhelm Ernst and the digital book

With its extensive book and journal programme, Ernst & Sohn is today one of the leading publishers for construction engineering and architecture in German-speaking countries. It is an imprint of John Wiley & Sons, Inc., one of the world’s leading publishers of journals, books, and major reference works in biomedics; chemical, civil, and mechanical engineering; and architecture.

If a present-day engineer or architect, journeying back in time to the founding of the publishing house on January 1, 1851, had predicted this development to founder Wilhelm Ernst, the Berlin publisher would have been quite proud. One might imagine a slight wrinkling of his forehead if his guest had tried to convince him of the advantages of digital publishing: "Books without paper? Oh, come on, please!" Only to add immediately: "If that's what our readers need, we definitely should publish these paperless works!" The practical professional work of civil engineers and architects is what determined the programme of Ernst & Sohn then, and it has continued to do so ever since - for more than 150 years.

Quality, latest developments - and the Ernst & Sohn Structural-Engineering-Award

To keep up with the latest developments in construction engineering without compromising quality - that has been the mission of the publishing house to this very day. Only journal articles or books considered to have a well-founded scientific basis and to be relevant to the practical work of civil engineers and architects are accepted into the Ernst & Sohn programme. Whether at trade shows, at conferences, or during conversations at the publisher's or in engineers' offices: the constant exchange of information with researchers and practising engineers and architects is the most important basis for title and programme planning. And every two years, engineers meet when the coveted Ernst & Sohn Structural-Engineering-Award, established by the publishing house in 1988, is conferred. A jury of experts awards the prize in recognition of significant engineering achievements, thus making them known to a wider public.

The Beton-Kalender and other classics: the book programme

In 2006 the Beton-Kalender marked its 100^th birthday, and an end to the success of this legendary yearbook is not in sight - it remains the most important work in the history of the publishing house. A book programme has evolved around it encompassing nearly all areas related to construction engineering and containing the latest and high quality information. The spectrum of topics includes "classics" like steel concrete and steel construction, planning and calculation of load-bearing structures, building physics, geo-technology and standardisation as well as specialist topics such as construction for roads and railways, sports facilities, and hydraulic engineering. Whether with yearbooks like the Mauerwerk-Kalender, Stahlbau-Kalender, and the Bauphysik-Kalender, multiple volume standard works like the Holzbau-Taschenbuch and the Grundbau-Taschenbuch, or monographs on specific topics like tunnelling: when undertaking construction projects you are simply better informed with books from Ernst & Sohn.

Current, precise - and on request digital: the journals

Journals are indispensable as sources of precise information on particularly current topics or to find answers to specific questions - especially for engineers and architects. You can rely on what Ernst & Sohn authors present in Bauphysik, Bautechnik, Beton- und Stahlbetonbau, Geomechanics and Tunnelling, Mauerwerk, Stahlbau, geotechnik, Structural Concrete, Unternehmerbrief Bauwirtschaft, and Steel Construction. And if a specific topic needs to be researched, the Ernst & Sohn journal article shop allows you to access 21,000 essays and reports in all the journals published since 1967 and download them in PDF format - a service that, once explained to him, would have made publisher-founder Wilhelm Ernst absolutely enthusiastic.

Wilhelm Ernst and John Wiley

The Berlin entrepreneur probably would have liked to have known John Wiley, his American publishing colleague and contemporary. Wiley had a substantial impact on the development of the family company John Wiley & Sons Inc., which was founded in 1807 - more than 200 years ago - and which today is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Ernst & Sohn has been part of Wiley since 1996, when its parent company, the Weinheim-based publisher VCH Verlagsgesellschaft (which had acquired Ernst & Sohn in 1983) joined the Wiley group and became Wiley-VCH. In 2008, together with colleagues from Wiley-VCH and Wiley-Blackwell, the Ernst & Sohn team moved to its new premises in the "Oberbaum City" in Berlin-Friedrichshain.

The tradition of change

Ernst & Sohn was founded in Berlin, and with its tradition of change the publishing house now more than ever fits in with this city, whose metamorphoses fascinate visitors from all over the world. Its new home splendidly matches Ernst & Sohn's profile and plans. The building is architecturally appealing and centrally located - and the premises can be expanded. That, too, played a decisive role in the publishing house's choice of the Rotherstrasse address. Because one thing is clear: at Ernst & Sohn, all signs point to growth.