Pelican Publishing Company

Pelican Publishing Company is a book publisher based in Gretna, a suburb of New Orleans. Formed in 1926, Pelican is the largest independent trade book publisher located in the U.S. South. Pelican publishes approximately 60 titles per year and maintains a backlist of over 2500 books.[1] Most of its titles relate to Louisiana and Southern culture, cuisine, art, travel guides, history, children's books, and textbooks.

For non-fiction imprint of Penguin Books, see Pelican Books.
Pelican Publishing Company
Parent companyArcadia Publishing
Founded1926
FounderJohn McClure
Country of originUnited States
Headquarters locationNew Orleans, Louisiana
DistributionUnited States and worldwide
Publication typesBooks
Nonfiction topicshistory, travel guides, art, architecture, children's books, textbooks, Louisiana
Official websitepelicanpub.com

History

Formed in 1926 by John McClure, Pelican was tied early in its history to William Faulkner and Stuart O. Landry. In 1970, Dr. Milburn E. Calhoun and family acquired Pelican. Calhoun served as company president and publisher prior to his death in 2012. Since his passing, daughter Kathleen Calhoun Nettleton has occupied his place as publisher and president.

In May 2019, the company's assets was officially purchased by Arcadia Publishing.[2] The purchased titles are now under the Pelican Publishing imprint of Arcadia Publishing. The company itself is still owned by Kathleen Calhoun Nettleton and the retained titles and rights are handled by her firm.

Significant titles

Pelican Publishing Company has produced many noteworthy titles, including the following:

  • Arnaud's Restaurant Cookbook: Legendary Creole Cuisine by Kit Wohl.
  • Blood in West Virginia: Brumfield v. McCoy by Brandon Ray Kirk, which tells the story of the Lincoln County Feud.[3]
  • The Cajun Night Before Christmas by James Rice: A parody of the popular Night Before Christmas poem in which Santa Claus visits Cajun Louisiana.
  • The Cavalry Battle that Saved the Union: Custer vs. Stuart at Gettysburg, Paul D. Walker, Pelican Publishing Company, Gretna, LA, 2002
  • Clovis Crawfish, a children's series by Mary Alice Fontenot
  • The Commissioner: A True Story of Deceit, Dishonor, and Death, Bill Keith study of the Shreveport public safety commissioner George W. D'Artois[4]
  • Finn McCool's Football Club by Stephen Rea, released February 2009. Memoir of the author's experiences at an Irish pub in New Orleans and what happened to the patrons before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina.
  • Louisiana Almanac (series): A resource of statistical data and historical information related to the State of Louisiana.
  • The Maverick Guide (series): A series of travel guides begun by Robert W. Bone (author).
  • New Orleans Classic Cookbook Series featuring Desserts, Appetizers, Seafood and Gumbos & Soups, also by Kit Wohl
  • See You at the Top, the first book by motivational business speaker Zig Ziglar
  • Sherwood Anderson and Other Famous Creoles by William Faulkner: The first trade publication written by William Faulkner.
  • The South Was Right! by James Ronald Kennedy and Walter Donald Kennedy: A controversial historical perspective that argues that the Confederacy had the right to secede from the Union.

References
  1. Herman, Jeff (2012). Herman's Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, & Literary Agents. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, Inc. p. 269. ISBN 9781402260612.
  2. Milliot, Jim (April 4, 2019). "Arcadia Will Buy Pelican Publishing". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  3. Kirk, Brandon. "Blood in West Virginia: Brumfield v. McCoy". pelicanpub.com. Pelican Publishing Company. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  4. Bill Keith (2009). The Commissioner: A True Story of Deceit, Dishonor, and Death. Gretna, Louisiana: Pelican Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-58980-655-9. Retrieved October 18, 2014.


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