Beacon Press

{{Infobox publisher

| image = 200px

| parent = Unitarian Universalist Association

| status =

| founded = {{start date|1854}}

| founder =

| successor =

| country = United States

| headquarters = Boston

| distribution = Penguin Random House Publisher Services (worldwide)
Publishers Group UK (UK)[http://www.pguk.co.uk/publishers/ Publishers Group UK – Publishers]

| keypeople = Gayatri Patnaik, director

| publications =

| topics =

| genre =

| imprints =

| revenue =

| numemployees =

| nasdaq =

| url = {{URL|https://www.beacon.org}}

}}

Beacon Press is an American left-wing{{Cite book |last=Bisbort |first=Alan |date=2008 |title=Media Scandals |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CpJxDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA34 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0-313-34766-5 |language=en |quote=Among left-wing publishers have been stalwarts like Beacon Press}} non-profit book publisher. Founded in 1854 by the American Unitarian Association, it is currently a department of the Unitarian Universalist Association.{{Cite magazine |title=Beacon Press Celebrates 150 Years of Publishing |url=http://archive.uuworld.org/2004/05/newsuua3.html |magazine=UU World: The Magazine of the Unitarian Universalist Association |date=September–October 2004 |access-date=2007-09-26}} It is known for publishing authors such as James Baldwin, Mary Oliver, Martin Luther King Jr., and Viktor Frankl, as well as The Pentagon Papers.

History

The history of Beacon Press actually begins in 1825, the year the American Unitarian Association (AUA) was formed. This liberal religious movement had the enlightened notion to publish and distribute books and tracts that would spread the word of their beliefs not only about theology but also about society and justice.

= The early years: 1854–1900 =

In the Press of the American Unitarian Association (as Beacon was called then) purchased and published works that were largely religious in nature and "conservative Unitarian" in viewpoint (far more progressive, nonetheless, than many other denominations). The authors were often Unitarian ministers—dead or alive, American or British, mostly Caucasian, and far more male than female. Many of the books were collections of sermons, lectures, and letters, balanced by volumes of devotion, hymns, and morally uplifting tales.

= New century, new mission: 1900–1945 =

In the early 1900s Samuel Eliot broadened the mission of the press by publishing books dealing with ethical, sociological, philanthropic, and similar subjects, as well as those of a more strictly religious character.... Although books of marked theology and religious note continued to have a predominant place in Association publication, the wide interest in all subjects relating to social and moral betterment were included and the evergrowing topics of war and peace and arbitration, or national amity and racial brotherhood were represented

= The modern era: 1945– =

In 1949, Beacon published American Freedom and Catholic Power, an anti-Catholic tome written by socialist and secular humanist Paul Blanshard, who was the assistant editor for The Nation. Beacon would go on to publish several other books by Blanshard critical of Catholicism over the next few decades.

Under director Gobin Stair (1962–75), new authors included James Baldwin, Kenneth Clark, André Gorz, Herbert Marcuse, Jürgen Habermas, Howard Zinn, Ben Bagdikian, Mary Daly, and Jean Baker Miller. Wendy Strothman became Beacon's director in 1983; she set up the organization's first advisory board, a group of scholars and publishing professionals who advised on book choices and direction. She turned a budget deficit into a surplus. In 1995, her last year at Beacon, Strothman summarized the Press's mission: "We at Beacon publish the books we choose because they share a moral vision and a sense that greater understanding can influence the course of events. They are books we believe in."Wilson, (2004), p. 209. Strothman was replaced by Helene Atwan in 1995.

In 1971, it published the "Senator Gravel edition" of The Pentagon Papers for the first time in book form, when no other publisher was willing to risk publishing such controversial material. Robert West, then-president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, approved the decision to publish The Pentagon Papers, which West claims resulted in two-and-a-half years of harassment and intimidation by the Nixon administration.{{cite web|url=http://www.uua.org/events/generalassembly/2007/choicesthat/30971.shtml |title=UUA: The Pentagon Papers Then and Now: Unitarian Universalists Confronting Government Secrecy |access-date=2010-12-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090904165040/http://www.uua.org/events/generalassembly/2007/choicesthat/30971.shtml |archive-date=2009-09-04 }} In Gravel v. United States, the Supreme Court decided that the Constitution's "Speech or Debate Clause" protected Gravel and some acts of his aide, but not Beacon Press.

Beacon Press seeks to publish works that "affirm and promote" several principles:

{{blockquote|the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice, equity and compassion in human relations; acceptance of one another; a free and responsible search for truth and meaning; the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process in society; the goal of the world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all; respect for the interdependent web of all existence; and the importance of literature and the arts in democratic life.}}

Beacon Press is a member of the Association of University Presses.{{cite web |title=Our Members |url=https://aupresses.org/membership/membership-list/ |access-date=January 30, 2023 |publisher=Association of University Presses}}{{cite web|url=http://www.aaupnet.org/membership/directory.html |title=Association of American University Presses Membership Directory |access-date=2007-09-26| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070927013444/http://aaupnet.org/membership/directory.html| archive-date= 27 September 2007 | url-status= live}}

Books and authors

File:BeaconPress MtVernonSt Boston 2010.jpg

Beacon Press publishes non-fiction, fiction, and poetry titles. Some of Beacon's best-known titles are listed below.

class="wikitable" !Title(s)!!Author(s)!!Year(s)
American Freedom and Catholic Power{{cite book \| last = Blanshard \| first = Paul \| author-link = Paul Blanshard \| title = American Freedom and Catholic Power \| publisher = Beacon Press \| date = 1948 \| location = Boston, MA }} Revised 2nd edition 1958.	Paul Blanshard	1948, 1958Blanshard, Paul. American freedom and Catholic power. Boston: Beacon Press. Second Edition, January 1, 1958
SNCC: The New Abolitionists{{cite book \|last1=Zinn \|first1=Howard \|title=SNCC : The New Abolitionists \|date=1964 \|publisher=Beacon Press \|isbn=9781608462995 \|author-link=Howard Zinn\|title-link=SNCC: The New Abolitionists}} \|Howard Zinn \|1964
A Critique of Pure ToleranceWolff, Robert Paul; Barrington Moore Jr; Herbert Marcuse. A Critique of Pure Tolerance. Boston: Beacon Press. 1965. {{ISBN\|978-0807015599}} \|Robert Paul Wolff, Barrington Moore Jr, Herbert Marcuse	1965
Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?King Jr., Martin Luther. Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?. Beacon Press, Boston. 1967. {{ISBN\|978-0-8070-0067-0}}	Martin Luther King Jr.	1967, 2010
Albert Schweitzer: An Anthology{{Cite book\|title=Albert Schweitzer: An Anthology\|last=Schweitzer\|first=Albert\|date=18 July 2023 \|publisher=LEGARE STREET Press \|author-link=Albert Schweitzer\|editor=Charles R. Joy\|url=https://www.mgoddingltd.co.uk/product/190021/Albert-Schweitzer-an-anthology-edited-by-Charles-RJoy\|isbn=9781021287397}} \|Albert Schweitzer	1982
The Transsexual Empire{{Cite book\|title=The transsexual empire : the making of the she-male\|last=G.\|first=Raymond, Janice\|date=1979\|publisher=Beacon Press\|isbn=0807021644\|location=Boston\|oclc=4529467}} \|Janice Raymond	1979
Notes of a Native Son{{cite book \| last = Baldwin \| first = James \| author-link = James Baldwin (writer) \| title = Notes of a Native Son \| publisher = Beacon Press \| date = July 9, 1984 \| location = Boston, MA \| url = https://archive.org/details/notesofnative00bald \| isbn = 978-0-8070-6431-3 }}	James Baldwin	1984
Toward a New Psychology of Women{{Cite book\|title=Toward a New Psychology of Women\|last=Miller\|first=Jean Baker\|publisher=Beacon Press\|year=1987\|isbn=978-080702909-1\|location=Boston, MA\|author-link=Jean Baker Miller}} \|Jean Baker Miller	1987
Gyn/Ecology{{cite book \| last = Daly \| first = Mary \| author-link = Mary Daly \| title = Gyn/Ecology: The Metaethics of Radical Feminism \| publisher = Beacon Press \| date = November 12, 1990 \| location = Boston, MA \| url = https://archive.org/details/gynecologymetae000daly \| isbn = 978-0-8070-1413-4 }}	Mary Daly	1990
One-Dimensional Man{{cite book \| last = Marcuse \| first = Herbert \| author-link = Herbert Marcuse \| title = One-Dimensional Man: Studies in the Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society \| publisher = Beacon Press \| date = October 1, 1964 \| location = Boston, MA \| isbn = 978-0-8070-1417-2 }}	Herbert Marcuse	1964
Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun{{cite book \| last = Canada \| first = Geoffrey \| author-link = Geoffrey Canada \| title = Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun \| publisher = Beacon Press \| date = January 31, 1995 \| location = Boston, MA \| url = https://archive.org/details/fiststickknifegu00cana \| isbn = 978-0-8070-0423-4 \| url-access = registration }}	Geoffrey Canada	1995
The Power of Their Ideas{{cite book \| last = Meier \| first = Deborah \| author-link = Deborah Meier \| title = The Power of Their Ideas: Lessons for America from a Small School in Harlem \| publisher = Beacon Press \| date = November 12, 1995 \| location = Boston, MA \| isbn = 978-0-8070-3113-1 }}	Deborah Meier	1995
Race Matters{{cite book \| last = West \| first = Cornel \| author-link = Cornel West \| title = Race Matters \| publisher = Beacon Press \| date = May 25, 2001 \| location = Boston, MA \| isbn = 978-0-8070-0972-7 }}	Cornel West	2001
New and Selected Poems: Volume One,{{cite book \| last = Oliver \| first = Mary \| author-link = Mary Oliver \| title = New and Selected Poems: Volume One \| publisher = Beacon Press \| date = November 15, 2005 \| location = Boston, MA \| url = https://archive.org/details/newselectedpoems0000oliv \| isbn = 978-0-8070-6878-6 \| url-access = registration }} Thirst{{cite book \| last = Oliver \| first = Mary \| author-link = Mary Oliver \| title = Thirst \| publisher = Beacon Press \| date = September 2, 2007 \| location = Boston, MA \| isbn = 978-0-8070-6897-7 }}	Mary Oliver	2005, 2007
Resurrecting Empire{{cite book \| last = Khalidi \| first = Rashid \| author-link = Rashid Khalidi \| title = Resurrecting Empire: Western Footprints and America's Perilous Path \| publisher = Beacon Press \| date = April 15, 2005 \| location = Boston, MA \| isbn = 978-0-8070-0235-3 }}	Rashid Khalidi	2005
Man's Search for Meaning{{cite book \| last = Frankl \| first = Viktor \| author-link = Viktor Frankl \| title = Man's Search for Meaning \| publisher = Beacon Press \| date = June 14, 2006 \| location = Boston, MA \| url = https://archive.org/details/manssearchformea00vikt \| isbn = 978-0-8070-1429-5 }}	Viktor Frankl	2006
Without a Map{{cite book \| last = Hall \| first = Meredith \| author-link = Meredith Hall \| title = Without a Map \| publisher = Beacon Press \| date = April 11, 2007 \| location = Boston, MA \| url = https://archive.org/details/withoutmapmemoir00hall \| isbn = 978-0-8070-7273-8 }}	Meredith Hall	2007
All Souls: A Family Story from Southie{{cite book \| last = MacDonald \| first = Michael Patrick \| author-link = Michael Patrick MacDonald \| title = All Souls: A Family Story from Southie \| publisher = Beacon Press \| date = October 4, 2007 \| location = Boston, MA \| url = https://archive.org/details/allsouls00mich \| isbn = 978-0-8070-7213-4 }}	Michael Patrick MacDonald	2007
The Court and the Cross{{cite book \| last = Lane \| first = Frederick S. \| title = The Court and the Cross \| publisher = Beacon Press \| date = June 1, 2008 \| location = Boston, MA \| pages = [https://archive.org/details/courtcrossreligi0000lane_u4i3/page/288 288 pages] \| isbn = 978-0-8070-4424-7 \| url = https://archive.org/details/courtcrossreligi0000lane_u4i3/page/288 }}	Frederick Lane	2008
An African American and Latinx History of the United States \|Paul Ortiz \|2018
White FragilityDiAngelo, Robin. Contrib Michael Eric Dyson. White Fragility. Beacon Press, Boston, 2018. {{ISBN\|9780807047422}}	Robin DiAngelo	2018
Superior: The Return of Race ScienceSaini, Angela. Superior. Beacon Press, Boston, 2019. {{ISBN\|9780807076910}}	Angela Saini	2019
Nice Racism	Robin DiAngelo	2021
Chokepoint Capitalism	Rebecca Giblin, Cory Doctorow	2022

Book series

The following is a list of some of the principal series; it is not comprehensive.

{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|

Beacon Paperbacks[https://www.librarything.com/nseries/264280/Beacon-Paperback Beacon Paperback], librarything.com. Retrieved 22 September 2021.[https://www.qpbseries.com/home/alphabetical-list-of-series/trade-series/beacon-paperbacks Quality Paperback Series: Beacon Paperbacks], qpbseries.com. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
The Beacon Press Schweitzer Series[https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=se%3AThe%20Beacon%20Press%20Schweitzer%20Series The Beacon Press Schweitzer Series], worldcat.org. Retrieved 22 September 2021.Albert Schweitzer, [https://archive.org/details/goethefourstudie0000albe/page/n5/mode/2up Goethe: Four Studies], Boston: The Beacon Press, 1949 (The Beacon Press Schweitzer Series), archive.org. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
Beacon Reference Series[https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=se%3ABeacon%20reference%20series se:Beacon Reference Series], worldcat.org. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
Beacon Series in Liberal Religion[https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=se%3ABeacon%20series%20in%20liberal%20religion se:Beacon Series in Liberal Religion], worldcat.org. Retrieved 22 September 2021.{{cite journal | url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2204551 | jstor=2204551 | title=Book Notes | journal=The Journal of Southern History | date=1960 | volume=26 | issue=3 | pages=418–429 [428]}}[https://www.qpbseries.com/home/alphabetical-list-of-series/trade-series/beacon-liberal-religion Quality Paperback Series: Beacon Series in Liberal Religion], qpbseries.com. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
Beacon Studies in Freedom and Power[https://www.publishinghistory.com/beacon-studies-in-freedom-and-power.html Beacon Studies in Freedom and Power (The Beacon Press) - Book Series List], publishinghistory.com. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
Beacon Studies in Soviet Tyranny and Power[https://www.publishinghistory.com/beacon-studies-in-soviet-tyranny-and-power.html Beacon Studies in Soviet Tyranny and Power (The Beacon Press) - Book Series List], publishinghistory.com. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
Beacon Wit and Wisdom Series[https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=se%3ABeacon%20Press%20wit%20and%20wisdom%20series se:Beacon Press Wit and Wisdom Series], worldcat.org. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
Black Women Writers Series[https://www.worldcat.org/title/637377310 Black women writers series], worldcat.org. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
Bluestreak: A Paperback Series of Innovative Literary Writing, Featuring Works by Women of Color[https://www.worldcat.org/title/150282672 Bluestreak: a paperback series of innovative literary writing, featuring works by women of color], worldcat.org. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
Celebrating Black Women Writers[https://worldcat.org/search?q=se%3ACelebrating%20black%20women%20writers se:Celebrating Black Women Writers], worldcat.org. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
Concord Library[https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=%22Concord+Library%22+%2B+Beacon Concord Library + Beacon], worldcat.org. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
The New Beacon Series[https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=%22The+New+Beacon+Series%22&itemSubType=book-printbook&itemSubTypeModified=book-printbook The New Beacon Series], worldcat.org. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
A Seventies Press Book[https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=%22Seventies+Press+Book%22 Seventies Press Book + Beacon], worldcat.org. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
True American Types[https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=se%3ATrue%20American%20types se:True American Types], worldcat.org. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
Why I Am[https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=%22Why+I+Am%22+Beacon Why I Am + Beacon], worldcat.org. Retrieved 22 September 2023.{{Cite journal |date=1965 |title=Back Matter |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/173088 |journal=The Journal of Conflict Resolution |volume=9 |issue=3|jstor=173088 }}

}}

=The King Legacy (series)=

In 2009, Beacon Press announced a new partnership with the Estate of Martin Luther King Jr. for a new book series publishing program, "The King Legacy."{{cite journal|title=Beacon Press to reissue Martin Luther King Jr.'s books|journal=UU World Blog|date=June 1, 2009|url= http://www.uuworld.org/news/articles/142830.shtml }} As part of the program, Beacon is printing new editions of previously published King titles and compiling Dr. King's writings, sermons, orations, lectures, and prayers into entirely new editions, including new introductions by leading scholars.

''Beacon Broadside''

Beacon Press launched its blog, Beacon Broadside, in late September 2007.[http://www.philocrites.com/archives/003733.html Philocrites: Beacon Press launches 'Beacon Broadside' blog]

Awards

In 1992, Beacon won a New England Book Award for publishing.{{cite web|url=http://www.newenglandbooks.org/NE_awards.html |title=New England Book Awards |access-date=2007-09-26 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070724003143/http://www.newenglandbooks.org/NE_awards.html |archive-date = 2007-07-24}} In 1993, Beacon was voted "Trade Publisher of the Year" by the Literary Market Place.[http://www.beacon.org/client/client_pages/about_mission.cfm History and Mission]

References

External links

[https://www.beacon.org/ Beacon Press's Home Page]
Democracy Now! Special: [https://web.archive.org/web/20070703224833/http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07%2F07%2F02%2F1331255 "How the Pentagon Papers Came to Be Published by the Beacon Press:] Mike Gravel, Daniel Ellsberg, and Robert West (audio/video and transcript)

Category:1854 establishments in Massachusetts

Category:Beacon Hill, Boston

Category:Book publishing companies based in Massachusetts

Category:Companies based in Boston

Category:Political book publishing companies

Category:Publishing companies established in 1854

Category:Unitarian Universalist organizations