BBC sells Lonely Planet guide business to US firm

Published March 19, 2013 5:39pm ET



LONDON (AP) — The Lonely Planet guide started out in 1973 on the kitchen table of Tony and Maureen Wheeler, who turned their adventures traveling on the cheap into a publishing empire— a backpacker Bible that made far-flung places seem easier to access.

The company went on to publish 120 million books in 11 languages — and made a fortune for the Wheelers when they sold the business to the BBC in 2007.

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