Rand McNally is the largest map and atlas publisher in the United States. William H. Rand began as a printer in Chicago in 1856, printing tickets and timetables for Chicago's railroad companies. In 1864, Rand partnered with Andrew McNally to oversee printing of the Chicago Tribune. From 1873 the company was known as Rand McNally. Railway-related publishing led to the development of Rand McNally's maps; it also led to an expansion into cheap paperback fiction for train reading.
The company also published travel and children's books, and text books.
