CliffsNotes were first created and published in 1958 by Clifton Hillegass in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Quick Scoop

  • CliffsNotes began in August 1958 as a line of 16 Shakespeare study guides, sold for about one dollar each.
  • The idea grew out of Canadian Coles Notes , after founders Jack and Carl Cole sold Hillegass the U.S. rights to their study guides.
  • Hillegass and his wife started the business in their basement in Lincoln, Nebraska, boxing and shipping the early print runs themselves.

Mini Timeline

  1. 1948 – Coles Notes launched in Canada as literature study guides.
  1. 1958 – U.S. rights to Coles Notes sold to Clifton Hillegass; the first CliffsNotes titles (16 Shakespeare plays) are published.
  1. Late 1958 – Over 58,000 copies of CliffsNotes are sold by year’s end, showing instant popularity with students.

Why 1958 Matters

  • The late 1950s saw a sharp rise in U.S. college enrollment, and CliffsNotes tapped into students’ demand for concise literary guides.
  • The success of the original pamphlets set the pattern for later study-aid brands like SparkNotes and other “compressed knowledge” tools.

In short: if you are wondering “when were Cliff Notes invented?” — the answer is 1958 , in a Nebraska basement, starting with Shakespeare.

TL;DR: CliffsNotes (often called “Cliff Notes”) were invented and first published in 1958 by Clifton Hillegass, after acquiring U.S. rights to Canadian Coles Notes.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.