CliffsNotes

Detractors of the study guides claim they let students bypass reading the assigned literature.

[3] Hillegass and his wife, Catherine, started the business in their basement at 511 Eastridge Drive in Lincoln, with sixteen William Shakespeare titles.

In the 1960s, as his own writers revised the summaries of Shakespearian plays, Hillegass eliminated the Cole's Notes versions.

John Wiley & Sons acquired IDG Books (renamed Hungry Minds) in 2001.

In 2011, CliffsNotes announced a joint venture with Mark Burnett, a TV producer, to create a series of 60-second video study guides of literary works.