Google sells Frommer’s brand back to Arthur Frommer; print travel guides will survive

After earlier reports that Google would kill off Frommer’s travel guides in print, Arthur Frommer has reacquired the brand from Google and said he will continue printing the books that carry his name.

Last August, Google announced its agreement to buy Frommer’s content and brand for a reported $25 million. But a report surfaced a few weeks back that Google planned to no longer print Frommer’s guides, a move that likely spurred Frommer to action. Frommer sold his travel book series to Simon & Schuster in 1977, but most recently, Wiley & Sons were publishing them.

“It’s a very happy time for me,” Frommer told The Associated Press. “We will be publishing the Frommer travel guides in e-book and print formats and will also be operating the travel site Frommers.com.”

Google said that while the brand will return to Frommer, the content it acquired from Frommer’s will still live in Google services and Google+. Google’s likely aim the whole time was to get reviews and travel information to make Google+’s location listings more relevant and interesting, so this appears to be a mutual win for both parties. The search giant also bought Zagat back in September 2011 to get much-needed review content.

Top photo via Frommer’s