Discovery Books was started in 1992 by journalist Catherine Beattie in order to publish Healthy Breaks  - the first consumer guide to health farms and spas in the UK.

Healthy Breaks was published in association with the national tourist boards of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and generated much media interest when launched. The title enjoyed 38 reviews and mentions in national newspapers and magazines, including a double page spread and spa promotion in the Daily Express. Catherine appeared on breakfast TV and was interviewed on various BBC and independent radio stations. Healthy Breaks appeared for a couple of weeks in the The Independent's list of best selling UK books.

A second edition, Healthy Breaks in Britain and Ireland was published in 1994, followed by The Healthy Breaks Cookbook the following year.

Since then, Catherine has published several  Discovery Books' titles by different authors while continuing her career as a health and travel writer.

Catherine was founding editor of Spa Health & Beauty, the UK's first spa consumer magazine, and is now contributing editor to Worldwide Spa Review Magazine. She edits and publishes Spa Wellbeing, an online consumer magazine as well as writing on spas, health and travel for trade, consumer and inflight magazines. Catherine is a member of the British Guild of Health Writers.