Transaction Publishers
The 1st of July 1962 marked the birth of Transaction Publishers through a Ford Foundation grant at Washington University in St. Louis. Irving Louis Horowitz served as chairman and editorial director from that moment until his death in 2012. The project began as a social science magazine titled Transaction: Social Science and Modern Society. This publication later evolved into the journal known simply as Society. The initial funding allowed the group to transition from a single periodical into a full publishing house. They produced books, journals, and eventually eBooks under one roof.
Livingston College on the Livingston campus of Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey became home for the publisher in 1969. The move integrated faculty members directly into the editing and authorship process. Close to 200 faculty members have been authors or editors of Transaction books over the decades. Many editors and advisors were drawn straight from the university staff roster. This arrangement created a unique bridge between academic research and commercial publishing operations.
Aldine Publishing Co. joined the organization in July 2004 after being acquired by Transaction Publishers. Formerly a division of Walter de Gruyter Inc., Aldine brought classic sociology and anthropology titles to the catalog. The new imprint operated as AldineTransaction and published works in economics and public policy fields. Precedent Publishers contributed book lists to the collection in 2009. The Rutgers Center for Urban Policy Research added its holdings to the archive in 2011. These acquisitions helped expand the total output beyond 6,000 titles.
The flagship journal Society was sold to Springer Science+Business Media in 2007. This decision marked the end of Transaction's direct involvement in academic journal publishing. The company shifted focus entirely toward book production and eBook distribution following the sale. The divestiture represented a strategic pivot away from periodical management. It allowed the remaining business to concentrate on its core social science book list.
Penn State University opened the Irving Louis Horowitz, Transaction Publishers Archives, 1939, 2009 in 2010. The records reside within the Historical Collections and Labor Archives at The Eberly Family Special Collections Library. Public research access began that year to document half a century of social science expansion. The archive preserves documents detailing the growth of the organization and its impact on the field. Researchers can now examine materials spanning from 1939 through 2009.
Taylor & Francis Group purchased Transaction Publishers in 2016. The deal resulted in the merger with the Routledge imprint by the 1st of February 2017. New Jersey operations ceased as an independent entity after this transaction. The Routledge brand absorbed the existing catalog and ongoing projects. This final acquisition concluded over five decades of independent operation under the original name.
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Common questions
When was Transaction Publishers founded and by whom?
Transaction Publishers was founded on the 1st of July 1962 through a Ford Foundation grant at Washington University in St. Louis. Irving Louis Horowitz served as chairman and editorial director from that moment until his death in 2012.
Where did Transaction Publishers relocate to in 1969?
Livingston College on the Livingston campus of Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey became home for the publisher in 1969. The move integrated faculty members directly into the editing and authorship process.
Which companies merged with Transaction Publishers between 2004 and 2011?
Aldine Publishing Co. joined the organization in July 2004 after being acquired by Transaction Publishers. Precedent Publishers contributed book lists to the collection in 2009 and the Rutgers Center for Urban Policy Research added its holdings to the archive in 2011.
What happened to the flagship journal Society in 2007?
The flagship journal Society was sold to Springer Science+Business Media in 2007. This decision marked the end of Transaction's direct involvement in academic journal publishing.
When did Taylor & Francis Group purchase Transaction Publishers?
Taylor & Francis Group purchased Transaction Publishers in 2016. The deal resulted in the merger with the Routledge imprint by the 1st of February 2017.