Short answers, pulled from the story.
Prometheus Books was founded by philosopher Paul Kurtz in August 1969. Kurtz was also the founder of the Council for Secular Humanism and the Center for Inquiry, and co-founder of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.
The name comes from Prometheus, the Titan in Greek mythology who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to humanity. This act is used as a metaphor for bringing knowledge or enlightenment, reflecting the press's mission around freethought and skepticism.
Prometheus Books focuses on science, freethought, secularism, humanism, and skepticism. It has published in the atheism category since its founding in 1969 and is considered the grandfather of atheist publishing in America.
Since its founding, Prometheus Books has published more than 2,500 books. It currently has roughly 1,700 titles in print and publishes approximately 95-100 new books per year.
Prometheus Books was acquired by Rowman & Littlefield in 2019. Rowman & Littlefield later renamed itself The Globe Pequot Publishing Group after selling its academic publishing business to Bloomsbury Publishing in 2024, with Prometheus Books continuing as one of its imprints.
Prometheus Books has faced two major libel lawsuits, both brought by Uri Geller. In 1992 Geller sued over Physics and Psychics by Victor J. Stenger; the suit was dismissed and Geller was required to pay more than $20,000 in costs. Geller also sued Prometheus over The Truth About Uri Geller by James Randi.