It is the sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964), continuing the story of young Charlie Bucket and a chocolatier, Willy Wonka, as they travel in the Great Glass Elevator. The book was published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. in 1972, a year after the release of the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and in the United Kingdom by George Allen & Unwin in 1973.