The oldest publishing houses are all about publishing books and the most important thing is that they should always publish quality works. The best way to ensure that a publishing house is successful is to make sure that they publish a high number of quality titles each year.
Thankfully, many of these publishing houses are still around today. If you have a book that is of high quality, there are plenty of publishers out there that are willing to take a chance on your work.
Cambridge University Press
The oldest of the University's publishing houses, Cambridge University Press was established in 1521 by John Siberch, an eminent German printer who had been associated with the Renaissance scholars Erasmus and Richard Croke. He was granted an advance of PS20 to set up a Cambridge press in a'space between the gate of humility and the gate of virtue' at Gonville and Caius College.
In 1625 Thomas Buck, a St Catharine's fellow and esquire bedell, was appointed as University Printer. His printing-house, originally part of Austin Friars' house, was "just behind the east end of St. Benedict's Church and Corpus Christi College." He was also a notorious rival of the Stationers of London, who prosecuted him for printing Lily's Grammar, while the University fought a bitter dispute with Buck and his partners over prices charged by the London printers.
He produced a number of important works during his short tenure as University Printer, including the first edition of the Authorized Version of the Bible and several other editions of classic authors. His folio bible was the best-selling and most acclaimed work of its kind in the seventeenth century.
Another significant product of Buck's press was the Latin dictionary, which was published in five quarto volumes and reached its tenth edition in 1610. He also printed several prayer books and a collection of proverbs attributed to John Ray, as well as Crashaw's Steps to the Temple (1670).
As well as the traditional Cambridge Histories series, many other reference works are now produced by the Press, covering a wide range of subject matter across the humanities and social sciences. These include histories of the world, philosophy, religion, literature, and music.
There are also some specialized series. For example, the Journal of English Studies includes articles on literary and historical topics. There is a comprehensive and authoritative volume on Cambridge Histories of the Arts, as well as a series on the History of Technology.
Since the late nineteenth century the Press has expanded and diversified. Currently, it publishes over 700 titles a year, covering the full spectrum of humanities and social sciences. It has an extensive range of electronic products, including online databases and digital subscriptions.
Schwabe Verlag
Schwabe Verlag in Basel is one of the oldest printing and publishing houses in the world. The company is based on the Offizin founded by Johannes Petri after 1488 and has since been an independent Swiss family business.
The company has a storied history of reprinting classics from the Renaissance to modern times. Its most recent incarnation is a scholarly publisher with locations across Europe and beyond. They print books, journals and monographs in the following spheres: philosophy, history, arts, technology, archaeology, linguistics and medicine. They also publish a number of e-books.
They have an impressive peer review system and a large staff of scribes. They can also help you find the right fit for your publications needs. Using our free online database, you can locate the best publishers to suit your budget and publication requirements.
Hozokan
Hozokan is a Kyoto based publisher that can claim to be Japan's oldest, having started publishing the writings of Buddha in 1602. This has not stopped them from embracing modern marketing techniques such as social media and the latest in printing technologies.
The company produces some very impressive paper and plastic products, but the most successful are its books. Its library of books is a treasure trove of Buddhist texts, which are available in both Japanese and English translation.
Their website features an extensive list of their titles in an online database and a separate section for online ordering. The company is also a major force in the world of children's books and has some impressive new titles on the way.
It's no secret that the Japanese book industry is dominated by a handful of giants, but the country has its share of small sprites as well. One such is Seven Seas, which is about to be absorbed by Penguin Random House.
Another is Hozokan, a Kyoto based publisher with a rich history dating back to 1602. The company's website is an impressive showcase of its latest and greatest. In the same spirit as other Kyoto based publishers, it has been a big proponent of digital printing technology, which is enabling it to produce more titles than ever before.
Review and Herald Publishing Association
The Review and Herald Publishing Association, also known as R&H, is one of the oldest publishing houses in the Seventh-day Adventist church. It publishes books, magazines, study guides, CDs, videos and games for churches and schools as well as individual subscribers.
The Association's roots go back to 1849 when James White produced The Present Truth and, in 1850, The Advent Review. A major fire on December 30, 1902 destroyed its Battle Creek, Michigan, headquarters and the following year it relocated to Takoma Park, Maryland.
However, by the early 1900s, the company focused more and more on the bottom line and workers lost sight of their Christian principles. Ellen White, one of the denomination's cofounders, had visions of fire over Battle Creek and warned the managers to pay their workers fair wages, not skim so much for themselves, and to pay authors their due royalties.
Her warnings were ignored. Instead, the company "printed whatever people offered to pay them for," ignoring the importance of quality.
At that point, the Association and its subsidiary, Pacific Press, located in Oakland, California, were under pressure from men in the General Conference to consolidate their publishing work into a single entity. In 1983, the two companies merged under a new president and moved to Hagerstown, Maryland, where they now operate on six acres of land.
Today, the Review and Herald, a 165-year-old brand name, is in trouble. It is one of the most financially unstable publishing entities in the church and, under a restructuring plan approved by the General Conference's constituent meetings, it will close its offices in Hagerstown and oversee its operations from the Pacific Press Publishing Association in Nampa, Idaho.
The Review and Herald has lost $943,000 in 2013 and a weak first quarter 2014. In April 2014, the Association's Board of Directors approved changes that included cutting 26 jobs, including some positions in editorial and production.
The move comes as the Association continues to face financial challenges that include declining revenue and increasing debt. The R&H website states that the association plans to “streamline production processes and reduce redundancies in several departments; trim the number of book titles planned for release in 2015; and trim the editorial and production staff of some R&H-produced journals.”