Founded in 1961 as the book division
of Time Inc., Time-Life took its name from Time Inc.'s
cornerstone magazines, Time and Life, but remained independent
of both. By 1966, Time-Life combined its book offerings
with music collections (two to five records) and packaged
them as a sturdy box set. Throughout the '70s and '80s,
the selection of books, music, and then video grew, diversifying
into all genres. When record labels stopped producing
vinyl albums in 1990, Time-Life switched to CD only.
At the end of 2003, Time-Life was acquired
by Ripplewood Holdings L.L.C. and ZelnickMedia Corporation
to become part of Direct Holdings Worldwide L.L.C. Direct
Holdings Worldwide operates as a leader in the sale of
music and video products under the Time-Life brand.
Today, Time-Life is one of the world's
pre-eminent creators and direct marketers of unique book,
music, video/DVD, and multimedia products. The Time-Life
name is one of the most recognized and trusted brands
in existence today. Its products are sold throughout North
America, Europe, Australia, and Asia through television,
print, retail, the Internet, telemarketing, and direct
sales.
