Arcadia Publishing facts for kids
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| 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) |
| Publication types | Books |
| Imprints |
|
| No. of employees | 108 |
Arcadia Publishing is an American company that publishes books about local history in the United States. These books often use many pictures. Arcadia Publishing also runs The History Press, which creates books about American history and interesting stories.
Contents
History of Arcadia Publishing
Arcadia Publishing started in Dover, New Hampshire, in 1993. It was first part of a company from the United Kingdom called Tempus Publishing. In 2004, Arcadia Publishing became an independent company. Its main office is now in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.
What They Publish
Arcadia Publishing has a huge collection of over 12,000 book titles. Each year, they publish about 900 new books. This includes books from their sister company, The History Press.
Their special way of publishing involves local writers or historians. These authors write about their own communities. Their books usually have 180 to 240 black-and-white photographs. Each photo has a caption, and there are also introductory paragraphs. Most of these books are 128 pages long.
Popular Book Series
The Images of America series is their most popular collection. Other well-known series include:
- Images of Rail
- Images of Sports
- Images of Baseball
- Black America
- Postcard History
- Campus History
- Corporate History
- Legendary Locals
- Images of Modern America
- Then & Now
Recent Changes
In 2017, Arcadia bought Palmetto Publishing Group. This company helped authors publish their own books. In 2018, a new company called Lezen bought Arcadia Publishing. Lezen is owned by Lili and Michael Lynton. In 2019, Walter Isaacson, a famous writer, joined Arcadia Publishing. He helps promote books and develop new plans for the company.
Printing and Paper
Since 2010, Arcadia has been the first major publisher to print all its books on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) paper. This means the paper comes from responsibly managed forests. All of Arcadia's books are also printed and made in South Carolina. They use paper made in America.
Imprints (Sister Companies)
An "imprint" is like a special brand or a sister company within a larger publishing group. Arcadia Publishing owns several imprints, each focusing on different types of books.
- Applewood Books (purchased in 2023): This imprint joined the Arcadia family recently.
- Arcadia Children's Books (founded in 2019): This part of the company focuses on books for younger readers.
- Belt Publishing (acquired in 2024): This is another new addition to Arcadia's group.
- Commonwealth Editions (acquired in 2021): This imprint was bought from Applewood Books.
- The History Press (sold to Arcadia in 2014): This company specializes in true stories about local heroes and interesting historical events. They also publish collections of recipes and solve historic mysteries.
- American Legends: This series explores local myths, legends, and mysteries.
- Forgotten Tales: These books share stories that are almost forgotten.
- Haunted America: This series features true ghost stories from different cities across the US. Local authors write these books.
- Pelican Publishing Company (purchased in 2019): Pelican publishes books about Louisiana and Southern culture. This includes books on food, art, and history from the Southern United States.
How Books Reach You
Arcadia Publishing prints all its books in the United States. They also handle their own sales and distribution. This means they manage how their books get to stores and readers.
Their sales are split into three main groups:
- Bookstore Chains: Large book stores that have many locations.
- Independent Bookstores, Libraries, and Museums: Smaller, local bookstores, public libraries, and museums that sell or lend books.
- Other Places: This includes places like historical societies and even hardware stores. These places might sell books related to their local history or interests.
