Disposal

Reed Elsevier PLC
25 January 2008







                                  News Release



           Issued on behalf of Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV





                                                           For immediate release

                                                                 25 January 2008





CLEARANCE BY US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE OF SALE OF HARCOURT ASSESSMENT BUSINESS TO
                                  PEARSON PLC



Reed Elsevier announced today that the sale of its Harcourt Assessment Business
to Pearson plc, announced on 4 May 2007, has received clearance from the US
Department of Justice.  Completion of this transaction is expected to take place
shortly and represents the final element of Reed Elsevier's sale of its Harcourt
Education division.



The sale of the Harcourt Education International businesses to Pearson completed
earlier in 2007 and that of the Harcourt US Schools Education businesses to
Houghton Mifflin Riverdeep Group completed in December 2007.







                                    - Ends -







For further information please contact:



Sybella Stanley             Tel: [phone]
(Investors)


Patrick Kerr                Tel: [phone]
(Media)






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