In 1884, David Angus opened a bookstore in Sydney. Angus & Robertson was created in 1886 when George Robertson and David Angus established a partnership. In 1900, after Angus retired and returned to England, Robertson formed a public company, Angus & Robertson Limited. From 1938, the company expanded internationally and formed Australia's first national book chain during the 1970s.

Over time the company changed hands to IPEC in 1976 and Gordon & Gotch in 1978, when A&R Publishing became a separate company. In 1990, A&R Publishing merged with Bookworld; was later purchased by New Zealand book retailer Whitcoulls Group in 1993; then by Blue Star Group in 1996; and then by UK's WHSmith in 2001.

In 2004 A&R was acquired by Australian investment company, Pacific Equity Partners. PEP purchased Borders in Australia and New Zealand in 2009 and brought the brands together under the parent company, RedGroup Retail. In 2011, RedGroup went into administration, leaving only an on-line A&R bookstore that later became part of Penguin Australia. In 2015, A&R was sold to online retailer Booktopia.

From the earliest days, the company was a publisher as well as a bookseller, noted for publishing many Australian classics by authors including Banjo Patterson, Henry Lawson, May Gibbs, Norman Lindsay and CJ Dennis. Its publishing output has included a few books with comics.