Beacon Press

Last updated
Beacon Press
Beacon Press Logo.jpg
Parent company Unitarian Universalist Association
Founded1854 (1854)
Country of origin United States
Headquarters location Boston
Distribution Penguin Random House Publisher Services (worldwide)
Publishers Group UK (UK) [1]
Key peopleGayatri Patnaik, director
Official website www.beacon.org

Beacon Press is an American left-wing [2] non-profit book publisher. Founded in 1854 by the American Unitarian Association, it is currently a department of the Unitarian Universalist Association. [3] 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 .

Contents

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–

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." [4] 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. [5] 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:

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. [6] [7]

Books and authors

Beacon Press building, Beacon Hill, Boston, 2010 BeaconPress MtVernonSt Boston 2010.jpg
Beacon Press building, Beacon Hill, Boston, 2010

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

Title(s)Author(s)Year(s)
American Freedom and Catholic Power [8] Paul Blanshard 1948, 1958 [9]
SNCC: The New Abolitionists [10] Howard Zinn 1964
A Critique of Pure Tolerance [11] Robert Paul Wolff, Barrington Moore Jr, Herbert Marcuse 1965
Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? [12] Martin Luther King Jr. 1967, 2010
Albert Schweitzer: An Anthology [13] Albert Schweitzer 1982
The Transsexual Empire [14] Janice Raymond 1979
Notes of a Native Son [15] James Baldwin 1984
Toward a New Psychology of Women [16] Jean Baker Miller 1987
Gyn/Ecology [17] Mary Daly 1990
One-Dimensional Man [18] Herbert Marcuse 1964
Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun [19] Geoffrey Canada 1995
The Power of Their Ideas [20] Deborah Meier 1995
Race Matters [21] Cornel West 2001
New and Selected Poems: Volume One, [22] Thirst [23] Mary Oliver 2005, 2007
Resurrecting Empire [24] Rashid Khalidi 2005
Man's Search for Meaning [25] Viktor Frankl 2006
Without a Map [26] Meredith Hall 2007
All Souls: A Family Story from Southie [27] Michael Patrick MacDonald 2007
The Court and the Cross [28] Frederick Lane2008
An African American and Latinx History of the United States Paul Ortiz 2018
White Fragility [29] Robin DiAngelo 2018
Superior: The Return of Race Science [30] 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.

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." [51] 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. [52]

Awards

In 1992, Beacon won a New England Book Award for publishing. [53] In 1993, Beacon was voted "Trade Publisher of the Year" by the Literary Market Place. [54]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unitarian Universalism</span> Non-creedal liberal religion

Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religious movement characterized by a "free and responsible search for truth and meaning". Unitarian Universalists assert no creed, but instead are unified by their shared search for spiritual growth. Unitarian Universalists do not have an official, unified corpus of sacred texts but rather draw inspiration and guidance from the six sources: personal experience, prophetic utterances, world religions, Jewish and Christian teachings, humanist teachings, and spiritual teachings. Unitarian Universalist congregations include many atheists, agnostics, deists, and theists; there are churches, fellowships, congregations, and societies around the world.

Unitarianism is a Nontrinitarian branch of Christianity. Unitarian Christians affirm the unitary nature of God as the singular and unique creator of the universe, believe that Jesus Christ was inspired by God in his moral teachings and that he is the savior of humankind, but he is not equal to God himself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Daly</span> American feminist philosopher and theologian (1928–2010)

Mary Daly was an American radical feminist philosopher, and theologian. Daly, who described herself as a "radical lesbian feminist", taught at the Jesuit-run Boston College for 33 years. Once a practicing Roman Catholic, she had disavowed Christianity by the early 1970s. Daly retired from Boston College in 1999, after violating university policy by refusing to allow male students in her advanced women's studies classes. She allowed male students in her introductory class and privately tutored those who wanted to take advanced classes.

The American Unitarian Association (AUA) was a religious denomination in the United States and Canada, formed by associated Unitarian congregations in 1825. In 1961, it consolidated with the Universalist Church of America to form the Unitarian Universalist Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Oliver</span> American poet (1935–2019)

Mary Jane Oliver was an American poet who won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Her work is inspired by nature, rather than the human world, stemming from her lifelong passion for solitary walks in the wild. It is characterized by a sincere wonderment and profound connection with the environment, conveyed in unadorned language and simple yet striking imagery. In 2007, she was declared to be the country's best-selling poet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forrest Church</span> American writer and minister

Frank Forrester Church IV was a leading Unitarian Universalist minister, author, and theologian. He was Senior Minister of the Unitarian Church of All Souls in New York City, until late 2006 when he was appointed as Minister of Public Theology. He wrote about Christianity, Gnosticism, religious liberty in the US tradition, and his own father, a US Senator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathan Appleton</span> American merchant and politician (1779–1861)

Nathan Appleton was an American merchant and politician and a member of the group of entrepreneurs known as "The Boston Associates".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Ishmael Ford</span>

James Ishmael Ford is an American Zen Buddhist priest and a retired Unitarian Universalist minister. He was born in Oakland, California on July 17, 1948. He earned a BA in psychology from Sonoma State University, as well as an M.Div. and an MA in the Philosophy of Religion, both from the Pacific School of Religion.

<i>Reason and Revolution</i> 1941 book by Herbert Marcuse

Reason and Revolution: Hegel and the Rise of Social Theory is a book by the philosopher Herbert Marcuse, in which the author discusses the social theories of the philosophers Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and Karl Marx. Marcuse reinterprets Hegel, with the aim of demonstrating that Hegel's basic concepts are hostile to the tendencies that led to fascism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Young People's Christian Union</span> Universalist youth group

The Young People's Christian Union (Y.P.C.U.), organized in 1889, was a Universalist youth group created to develop the spiritual life of young people and advance the work of the Universalist church. Soon after it was founded, the Y.P.C.U. focused its attention on missionary work. It was instrumental in the founding of new southern churches and the creation of a Post Office Mission for the distribution of religious literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unitarian Universalism and LGBT people</span> Relationship between Unitarian Universalism and LGBT people

Unitarian Universalism, as practiced by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), and the Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC), is a non-Creedal and Liberal theological tradition and an LGBTQ affirming denomination.

John A. Buehrens is an American Unitarian Universalist minister and author.

Paul Kendrick is an author of popular history.

Arthur Powell Davies was the minister of All Souls Church, Unitarian in Washington, D.C. from 1944 until his death in 1957. A prolific author of theological books and sermon collections, he came to national prominence in the U.S. through his liberal activism advocating civil rights for African-Americans and women and ethical stands against post-war nuclear proliferation and the methods employed by the American government during the era of McCarthyism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gyokuko Carlson</span>

Gyokuko Carlson is a Soto Zen roshi and abbess of Dharma Rain Zen Center in Portland, Oregon, United States.

First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles is an independent congregation affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, which is considered a Protestant denomination. Since its founding in 1877 the church has been a leader in social justice activism for the Unitarian Universalist faith, and for the city of Los Angeles. Its embrace of progressive causes and sometimes radical politics have earned it a reputation as both a place of controversy and a beacon of justice. Its affiliated organization, Urban Partners Los Angeles, provides numerous programs in the neighborhood around the church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Bovee Dods</span> American psychologist

John Bovee Dods was a philosopher, spiritualist, mesmerist, and early psychologist.

<i>The Concept of Nature in Marx</i> 1962 book by Alfred Schmidt

The Concept of Nature in Marx is a 1962 book by the philosopher Alfred Schmidt. First published in English in 1971, it is a classic account of Karl Marx's ideas about nature.

<i>An Essay on Liberation</i> 1969 book by Herbert Marcuse

An Essay on Liberation is a 1969 book by the Frankfurt School philosopher Herbert Marcuse.

Spencer Lavan was an American scholar of comparative religion and a Unitarian Universalist minister. Since his ordination in 1962, Spencer Lavan served as a Unitarian Universalist minister mostly by teaching in higher education. He taught "Religions of Islam and India" and was a dean to undergraduates at Tufts University (1969–79). He organized and chaired the Department of Medical Humanities at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Maine (1982–88). Finally, he served as the Dean and Chief Executive of the Meadville Lombard Theological School at the University of Chicago (1988–96). From 1984-88 he was editor of the Journal of Medical Humanities and Bio-Ethics. He served as a co-editor for the Dictionary of Unitarian Universalist Biography. Lavan was the author of several books on religious subjects, served as the president of the Unitarian Universalist Historical Society, and founded the Collegium: Liberal Religious Studies.

References

  1. ↑ Publishers Group UK – Publishers
  2. ↑ Bisbort, Alan (2008). Media Scandals. ABC-CLIO. ISBN   978-0-313-34766-5. Among left-wing publishers have been stalwarts like Beacon Press
  3. ↑ "Beacon Press Celebrates 150 Years of Publishing". UU World: The Magazine of the Unitarian Universalist Association. September–October 2004. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
  4. ↑ Wilson, (2004), p. 209.
  5. ↑ "UUA: The Pentagon Papers Then and Now: Unitarian Universalists Confronting Government Secrecy". Archived from the original on 2009-09-04. Retrieved 2010-12-16.
  6. ↑ "Our Members". Association of University Presses . Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Association of American University Presses Membership Directory". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
  8. ↑ Blanshard, Paul (1948). American Freedom and Catholic Power. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. Revised 2nd edition 1958.
  9. ↑ Blanshard, Paul. American freedom and Catholic power. Boston: Beacon Press. Second Edition, January 1, 1958
  10. ↑ Zinn, Howard (1964). SNCC : The New Abolitionists. Beacon Press. ISBN   9781608462995.
  11. ↑ Wolff, Robert Paul; Barrington Moore Jr; Herbert Marcuse. A Critique of Pure Tolerance. Boston: Beacon Press. 1965. ISBN   978-0807015599
  12. ↑ King Jr., Martin Luther. Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?. Beacon Press, Boston. 1967. ISBN   978-0-8070-0067-0
  13. ↑ Schweitzer, Albert. Charles R. Joy (ed.). Albert Schweitzer: An Anthology. ISBN   9781021287397.
  14. ↑ G., Raymond, Janice (1979). The transsexual empire : the making of the she-male. Boston: Beacon Press. ISBN   0807021644. OCLC   4529467.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ↑ Baldwin, James (July 9, 1984). Notes of a Native Son. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. ISBN   978-0-8070-6431-3.
  16. ↑ Miller, Jean Baker (1987). Toward a New Psychology of Women. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. ISBN   978-080702909-1.
  17. ↑ Daly, Mary (November 12, 1990). Gyn/Ecology: The Metaethics of Radical Feminism. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. ISBN   978-0-8070-1413-4.
  18. ↑ Marcuse, Herbert (October 1, 1964). One-Dimensional Man: Studies in the Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. ISBN   978-0-8070-1417-2.
  19. ↑ Canada, Geoffrey (January 31, 1995). Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun . Boston, MA: Beacon Press. ISBN   978-0-8070-0423-4.
  20. ↑ Meier, Deborah (November 12, 1995). The Power of Their Ideas: Lessons for America from a Small School in Harlem. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. ISBN   978-0-8070-3113-1.
  21. ↑ West, Cornel (May 25, 2001). Race Matters. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. ISBN   978-0-8070-0972-7.
  22. ↑ Oliver, Mary (November 15, 2005). New and Selected Poems: Volume One . Boston, MA: Beacon Press. ISBN   978-0-8070-6878-6.
  23. ↑ Oliver, Mary (September 2, 2007). Thirst. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. ISBN   978-0-8070-6897-7.
  24. ↑ Khalidi, Rashid (April 15, 2005). Resurrecting Empire: Western Footprints and America's Perilous Path. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. ISBN   978-0-8070-0235-3.
  25. ↑ Frankl, Viktor (June 14, 2006). Man's Search for Meaning. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. ISBN   978-0-8070-1429-5.
  26. ↑ Hall, Meredith (April 11, 2007). Without a Map. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. ISBN   978-0-8070-7273-8.
  27. ↑ MacDonald, Michael Patrick (October 4, 2007). All Souls: A Family Story from Southie. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. ISBN   978-0-8070-7213-4.
  28. ↑ Lane, Frederick S. (June 1, 2008). The Court and the Cross. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. pp.  288 pages. ISBN   978-0-8070-4424-7.
  29. ↑ DiAngelo, Robin. Contrib Michael Eric Dyson. White Fragility. Beacon Press, Boston, 2018. ISBN   9780807047422
  30. ↑ Saini, Angela. Superior. Beacon Press, Boston, 2019. ISBN   9780807076910
  31. ↑ Beacon Paperback, librarything.com. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  32. ↑ Quality Paperback Series: Beacon Paperbacks, qpbseries.com. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  33. ↑ The Beacon Press Schweitzer Series, worldcat.org. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  34. ↑ Albert Schweitzer, Goethe: Four Studies, Boston: The Beacon Press, 1949 (The Beacon Press Schweitzer Series), archive.org. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  35. ↑ se:Beacon Reference Series, worldcat.org. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  36. ↑ se:Beacon Series in Liberal Religion, worldcat.org. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  37. ↑ New Editions and Reprints", The Journal of Southern History, Vol. 26, No. 3 (Aug., 1960), p. 428. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  38. ↑ Quality Paperback Series: Beacon Series in Liberal Religion, qpbseries.com. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  39. ↑ Beacon Studies in Freedom and Power (The Beacon Press) - Book Series List, publishinghistory.com. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  40. ↑ Beacon Studies in Soviet Tyranny and Power (The Beacon Press) - Book Series List, publishinghistory.com. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  41. ↑ se:Beacon Press Wit and Wisdom Series, worldcat.org. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  42. ↑ Black women writers series, worldcat.org. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  43. ↑ Bluestreak: a paperback series of innovative literary writing, featuring works by women of color, worldcat.org. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  44. ↑ se:Celebrating Black Women Writers, worldcat.org. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  45. ↑ Concord Library + Beacon, worldcat.org. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  46. ↑ The New Beacon Series, worldcat.org. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  47. ↑ Seventies Press Book + Beacon, worldcat.org. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  48. ↑ se:True American Types, worldcat.org. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  49. ↑ Why I Am + Beacon, worldcat.org. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  50. ↑ (Back Matter: Beacon Press display advertisement), in: The Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 9, No. 3, September 1965. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  51. ↑ "Beacon Press to reissue Martin Luther King Jr.'s books". UU World Blog. June 1, 2009.
  52. ↑ Philocrites: Beacon Press launches 'Beacon Broadside' blog
  53. ↑ "New England Book Awards". Archived from the original on 2007-07-24. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
  54. ↑ History and Mission

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.