Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised May 27, 2026

FlatWorld

FlatWorld is a publisher of college-level textbooks and educational supplements. The company was founded in 2007 as Flat World Knowledge by Eric Frank and Jeff Shelstad.

Last revised
May 27, 2026
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≈ 2 min
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543 w
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Wikipedia ↗
FlatWorld
FormerlyFlat World Knowledge
Company type
Private
IndustryEducation
Founded2007
HeadquartersBoston, Massachusetts, United States
Area served
Global
Key people
Alastair Adam, Co-CEO; John Eielson, Co-CEO
ProductsTextbooks
Websitecatalog.flatworldknowledge.com

FlatWorld is a publisher of college-level textbooks and educational supplements.1 The company was founded in 2007 as Flat World Knowledge by Eric Frank and Jeff Shelstad.2

History

In 2007, Flat World Knowledge was founded by Jeff Shelstad and Eric Frank in Nyack, New York.3 By August 2009, Flat World textbooks had been adopted at 400 colleges for use by 40,000 students.45 In 2010, Flat World Knowledge moved from Nyack to Irvington, New York.6 It had been adopted by more than 1,300 educators as of that year.7

The company received $8 million in funding from investors in 2010.8910 In January 2011, the company received an additional $15 million in funding from investors.1112

The company originally offered every textbook published free using online delivery under the open content paradigm,13 but in November 2012, the company announced that it would no longer offer free access to textbooks.14

In late 2016, Flat World Knowledge was acquired by Alastair Adam and John Eielson and rebranded as FlatWorld.15

See also

See also

References

References

  1. Lim, Ronald S. (October 1, 2010). ""The World is Flat – Even in Publishing."". Manila Bulletin. Archived from the original on 2010-10-04.
  2. Lener, Edward; Dillon, Cy (January 2010). ""Building a Better Model: Eric Frank on Flat World Knowledge."" (PDF). Virginia Libraries. pp. 5–9.
  3. Carpenter, Mason A. (2010). ""Flat World Knowledge: Creating a Global Revolution in College Textbooks!"". Social Science Research Network. SSRN 1588144.
  4. Oshiro, Dana (August 20, 2009). ""Open Textbooks Gaining Ground: Flat World in 400 Colleges."". Read Write Web. Archived from the original on 2010-07-02.
  5. Hoover, Lisa (March 25, 2009). ""Flat World Knowledge Offers Open Source-Style College Textbooks."". Gigaom Ostatic. Archived from the original on 2023-09-29.
  6. Ferris, Marc (October 20, 2010). ""Irvington Publishers Shaking Up the Textbook Industry."". Rivertowns Patch. Archived from the original on 2011-07-15.
  7. Kolowicz, Steve (October 1, 2010). ""A Call for Open Textbooks."". Inside Higher Ed. Archived from the original on 2010-10-02.
  8. ""Flat World Knowledge Secures $700,000 in Funding."". EdNet Insight. October 21, 2008.
  9. Rosenberg, Dave (March 26, 2009). ""Maker of 'open,' free textbooks raises $8 million."". Cnet.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-24.
  10. Ricketts, Camille (March 24, 2009). ""Flat World Knowledge Lands $8M for Online College Textbooks". VentureBeat.
  11. Purkiss, Alan. "Bertelsmann Puts Cash Into College Textbook Publisher, FT Says." Bloomberg. January 20, 2011.
  12. Edgecliffe-Johnson, Andrew. "Bertelsmann Backs Open Textbook Publisher." Financial Times. January 20, 2011.
  13. Wong, Chin. "Textbooks for free." Manila Standard Today. September 28, 2010.
  14. Howard, Jennifer (3 November 2012). "Flat World Knowledge to Drop Free Access to Textbooks". Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  15. Reid, Calvin. "FlatWorld Returns to Its Roots". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
External links