Arcadia Publishingis an Americanpublisherof neighborhood,local,and regional history of the United States inpictorialform.[2][3][4]Arcadia Publishing also runs the History Press, which publishes text-driven books on American history and folklore.
 | |
| Parent company | Lezen |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1993 |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Headquarters location | Charleston, South Carolina,U.S. |
| Distribution | Self-distributed |
| Key people | David Steinberger(CEO)[1] |
| Publication types | Books |
| Imprints | |
| No.of employees | 108 |
| Official website | arcadiapublishing |
History
editArcadia Publishing was founded inDover, New Hampshire,in 1993 byUnited Kingdom-basedTempus Publishing,but became independent after being acquired by its CEO in 2004. The corporate office is inMount Pleasant, South Carolina.[5]It has a catalog of more than 12,000 titles, and it—along with its subsidiary, The History Press—publishes 900 new titles every year.[6]
Its formula for regional publishing is to use localwritersorhistoriansto write about their community using 180 to 240black-and-whitephotographswith captions and introductory paragraphs in a 128-page book.[7]TheImages of Americaseries is the company's largest product line. Other series includeImages of Rail, Images of Sports, Images of Baseball, Black America, Postcard History, Campus History, Corporate History, Legendary Locals, Images of Modern America,andThen & Now.
In May 2017, Arcadia acquired Palmetto Publishing Group, aCharleston-based self-publishing service that had been in business since 2015.[1]In 2018, Arcadia was acquired by Lezen, a new company owned by Lili andMichael Lynton.[8]In March 2019,Walter Isaacsonbecame the editor-at-large and senior adviser for Arcadia Publishing, where he will be promoting books for the company as well as editing, new strategy development, and partnerships.[9]
In 2010, Arcadia became the first major publisher to print all of their books onForest Stewardship Council(FSC) paper. All of the publisher's books are also printed and manufactured in South Carolina on American-made paper.[10]
Imprints
edit- Applewood Books(purchased in 2023).[11]
- Arcadia Children's Books (founded in 2019).[12]
- Belt Publishing(acquired in 2024)[13]
- Commonwealth Editions (acquired in 2021 from Applewood Books).[14]
- The History Press (originally a U.S. subsidiary ofUnited Kingdom-based publisherof the same name;sold to Arcadia in 2014).[15]The History Press specializes in books dealing with "narratives of local heroes, tragic losses, collections of homegrown recipes, historic mysteries, and everything in between."[16]Some of their series include:American Legends(a series focused on local mythology, legends, and mysteries),Forgotten Tales(a line of books that catalogue near-forgotten stories), andHaunted America(paranormal history books that are written by local authors about ghost stories specific to cities across the US).[17][18][19]
- Pelican Publishing Company(purchased in 2019).[20]Pelican publishes books focused on Louisiana and Southern culture, cuisine, art, and history.[21]
Distribution
editThe books are printed in the United States. Arcadia handles its own sales and distribution with the following each accounting for a third of the company's sales:
- Bookstorechains
- Independent bookstores,librariesandmuseums
- Nontraditional outlets (e.g.,historical societies,hardware stores)[22]
References
edit- ^abMoore, Thad (May 30, 2017)."Mount Pleasant-based Arcadia Publishing buys Charleston-based self-publishing service in effort to diversify business".The Post and Courier.RetrievedMarch 23,2018.
- ^"Histories in the Making".The Philadelphia Inquirer.April 11, 2002 – via Newsbank.
- ^Nolte, Carl (October 27, 2005)."Mini-Americana Publisher Finds Small to Be Bountiful".San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^Rice, Mark (Fall 2009)."Arcadian Visions of the Past"(PDF).Columbia Journal of American Studies.Vol. 9. pp. 7–26.RetrievedSeptember 19,2017.(analysis of the successfulImages of Americaseries).
- ^"Neighborhood Life".Neighborhoodlife.net.Archived fromthe originalon August 20, 2018.RetrievedNovember 2,2018.
- ^"Our Story".Arcadia Publishing. Archived fromthe originalon July 27, 2009.RetrievedJune 11,2009.
- ^Hall, Alan (March 20, 2005)."The Book Is at the Printer!".Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County, Ohio. Archived fromthe originalon October 2, 2006.RetrievedAugust 24,2007.
Hall, Alan (July 3, 2005)."SteubenvilleA Book Written by Librarians ".Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County, Ohio. Archived fromthe originalon October 2, 2006.RetrievedAugust 24,2007.
Hall is a co-author and describes the process of writing and editing an Acadia bookSteubenvilleISBN978-0-7385-3399-5. - ^"Investor group acquires Arcadia Publishing".Charlestonbusiness.RetrievedNovember 2,2018.
- ^Hoff, Patrick (March 25, 2019)."Walter Isaacson joins Arcadia Publishing".Charleston Regional Business Journal.SC Biz News.RetrievedApril 3,2019.
- ^Staff Writer (February 10, 2010)."Arcadia Publishing Becomes 100% FSC Certified".Publishers Weekly.RetrievedNovember 3,2017.
- ^Milliot, Jim."Arcadia Publishing Acquires Applewood Books".Publishers Weekly.RetrievedOctober 29,2023.
- ^Milliot, Jim."Arcadia Publishing Forms Children's Division".Publishers Weekly.RetrievedOctober 29,2023.
- ^"Arcadia Publishing Acquires Belt Publishing".
- ^"Arcadia Acquires Commonwealth Editions from Applewood Books".
- ^"Arcadia Publishing Buys The History Press".Publishers Weekly.July 9, 2014.RetrievedJanuary 23,2018.
- ^"The History Press".Arcadia Publishing.RetrievedNovember 15,2016.
- ^"American Legends".The History Press.RetrievedJanuary 23,2018.
- ^"Forgotten Tales".The History Press.RetrievedJanuary 23,2018.
- ^"Haunted America".The History Press.RetrievedNovember 15,2016.
- ^Milliot, Jim (April 4, 2019)."Arcadia Will Buy Pelican Publishing".Publishers Weekly.United States: PWxyz, LLC.RetrievedMay 31,2020.
- ^"About Us".Pelican Publishing Company.RetrievedOctober 30,2023.
- ^Milliot, Jim (August 9, 2004)."Arcadia Publishing Adopts National View".Publishers Weekly'.RetrievedAugust 24,2007.
