Greenwood Publishing Group
Harold Mason and Harold Schwartz established Greenwood Press, Inc. in 1967 within a small office in Greenwood, New York. Mason worked as a librarian while also selling rare books to collectors. Their initial strategy involved reprinting out-of-print works that appeared on the American Library Association's first edition of Books for College Libraries published that same year. The company began issuing these reprints under the Greenwood Press imprint alongside periodicals released as "American Radical Periodicals" through their Greenwood Reprint series. By 1969, Williamhouse-Regency acquired the firm from its founders. This paper and stationery manufacturing company owned by the American Stock Exchange expanded operations to include microform publishing under Greenwood Microforms. A scholarly monograph project launched in 1970 marked the beginning of a shift away from pure reprinting activities.
Robert Hagelstein joined Greenwood Press in 1970 after working with the Johnson Reprint Corporation division of Academic Press. He assumed the role of vice-president before becoming president when Mason and Schwartz departed in 1973. Hagelstein held this leadership position until his retirement at the end of 1999 spanning twenty-seven years of operation. During his tenure the press wound down its reprint activities to focus instead on new scholarly reference and professional books. More than 10,000 titles were published during those decades of redirection. When Hagelstein retired Wayne Smith was named president of Greenwood Publishing Group. Under Smith's direction the organization made additional acquisitions including Ablex Publishing Oryx Press and Libraries Unlimited imprints. The group also expanded online and CD-ROM products under its Greenwood Electronic Media imprint.
On the 25th of August 1976 the company was sold to Congressional Information Service which later became part of Elsevier following that Dutch publishing giant's purchase of CIS in 1979. That same year the Greenwood subsidiary initiated Quorum Books to publish professional titles in business and law. On the 1st of January 1986 Greenwood Press purchased Praeger Publishers founded in 1950 as Frederick A. Praeger Inc from CBS Inc. Another acquisition occurred in 1989 when the firm bought Bergin & Garvey and Auburn House. At the beginning of 1990 the company changed its name from Greenwood Press Inc to Greenwood Publishing Group Inc. When Elsevier merged with Reed International in 1993 GPG became part of Reed Elsevier. By the mid-1990s the operational part of GPG joined with Heinemann USA which had been part of Reed.
Reed Elsevier completed its acquisition of Harcourt on the 12th of July 2001 making it a wholly owned subsidiary while GPG became part of Harcourt Education. Houghton Mifflin Company acquired Harcourt on the 13th of December 2007 bringing GPG under its ownership. On the 1st of October 2008 ABC-Clio and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt announced an agreement granting ABC-Clio a perpetual license to use the imprints and publish titles of Greenwood Publishing including Greenwood Publishing Praeger Publishers and Libraries Unlimited. The transfer included copyrights contracts and inventory moving from Greenwood Publishing Group to ABC-Clio during 2009. The office at 88 Post Road West in Westport Connecticut closed as a result of this transaction. Layoffs began in December 2008 following the announcement that the assets would be transferred.
In December 2021 Bloomsbury Publishing bought ABC-Clio along with all its subsidiaries including Greenwood. This acquisition brought the former Greenwood Press operations under British publishing house control. The Greenwood name stopped being used for new books in 2023 marking the final discontinuation of the brand. Before this transition both Greenwood Press and Praeger Publishers had become stand-alone imprints of ABC-Clio between 2008 and 2009 after their purchase by that organization. Libraries Unlimited also became a subsidiary of ABC-Clio during that same period. Selected publications like The Greenwood Encyclopedia of African American Folklore and The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy remain part of the historical record spanning from 1982 through 2005.
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Common questions
Who founded Greenwood Publishing Group and when was it established?
Harold Mason and Harold Schwartz established Greenwood Press, Inc. in 1967 within a small office in Greenwood, New York.
What happened to Greenwood Publishing Group after Robert Hagelstein retired in 1999?
When Hagelstein retired Wayne Smith was named president of Greenwood Publishing Group and the organization made additional acquisitions including Ablex Publishing Oryx Press and Libraries Unlimited imprints.
Which company acquired Greenwood Publishing Group on the 25th of August 1976?
On the 25th of August 1976 the company was sold to Congressional Information Service which later became part of Elsevier following that Dutch publishing giant's purchase of CIS in 1979.
How did Houghton Mifflin Company acquire control over Greenwood Publishing Group?
Houghton Mifflin Company acquired Harcourt on the 13th of December 2007 bringing GPG under its ownership before ABC-Clio received a perpetual license to use the imprints in 2008.
When did Bloomsbury Publishing buy ABC-Clio and what happened to the Greenwood brand name?
In December 2021 Bloomsbury Publishing bought ABC-Clio along with all its subsidiaries including Greenwood and the Greenwood name stopped being used for new books in 2023 marking the final discontinuation of the brand.