John Haynes OBE wrote and published his first book, on building an Austin 7 Special, whilst he was still at school in 1956. He wrote two more 'Special' builders' manuals while doing his National Service in the RAF. The first 'proper' Haynes Owners Workshop Manual, for the Austin Healey 'Frogeye' Sprite, was published in 1965. Based on the stripdown and rebuild of the project vehicle and with extensive use of step-by-step photographs – a process that has not changed to this day – this manual set the standard for many generations of manuals to follow.

Since Haynes Publishing was founded in 1960, approximately 150 million Haynes Manuals have sold throughout the world, over 1 million in the UK last year alone. There are around 300 UK car manuals in print at present.