Coles Notes

Coles Notes are student guides to literature, published in Canada. The Coles bookstore first published Coles Notes in 1948. The first title published was on the French novella Colomba by Prosper Mérimée.

In 1958, Jack Cole and Carl Cole, founders of Coles, sold the U.S. rights to Coles Notes to Cliff Hillegass who then published the books under CliffsNotes.

By 1960, Coles notes sales had peaked. They had published over 120 titles, mostly on English novels; however, they also covered other subjects including maths, science, and foreign languages. Coles Notes is currently owned by Indigo Books in Canada.