Fact Check: Does the Robert Maxwell Estate Still Control Mcgraw Hill Textbooks?
By Alexander Ross
Q1: Did Robert Maxwell ever own McGraw Hill?
No. Maxwell never owned McGraw Hill. In 1989, his firm Maxwell Communication Corporation entered into a 50-50 joint venture with McGraw-Hill for K-12 textbooks called Macmillan/McGraw-Hill. The broader McGraw-Hill corporation remained completely independent.
Q2: Does Ghislaine Maxwell or her family profit from modern textbook sales?
No. Following Robert Maxwell's death in 1991 and MCC's insolvency, McGraw-Hill bought out MCC's 50% stake in the textbook venture in 1993 for $337.5 million. The Maxwell family has held no financial or legal interest in McGraw Hill for over three decades.
Q3: Who currently controls McGraw Hill?
McGraw Hill is owned by Platinum Equity, a private equity firm that bought the publisher in July 2021 for $4.5 billion from Apollo Global Management.
Alexander Ross has covered the video game industry for a decade, writing deep dives on game design, esports tournaments, VR developments, and gaming culture.
