[3] In 1999 it was bought by Nion McEvoy, great-grandson of M. H. de Young, founder of the Chronicle, from other family members who were selling off the company's assets.

[3] It has published a number of New York Times Best Sellers; the Griffin and Sabine series by Nick Bantock, Me Without You by Lisa Swerling and Ralph Lazar, Duck!

Other best sellers have included The Beatles Anthology, What's Your Poo Telling You?, Mom and Dad are Palindromes by Mark Shulman, the Worst-Case Scenario series by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht, the children's series Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows, All My Friends Are Dead, and Papa, Do You Love Me and Golden Kite Award winner Mama, Do You Love Me by Barbara M. Joosse.

Chronicle Books has published at least 25 books in The Art of... series that showcase the evolution of artwork and stories of animated films, including many by Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, DreamWorks and Blue Sky Studios.

The company also sells custom publishing service and gift accessories (such as desktop calendars), and operates three retail stores in San Francisco – including one in the base of their corporate headquarters near AT&T Park.