Pelican Publishing Company

Last updated
Pelican Publishing Company
Parent company Arcadia Publishing
Founded1926
FounderJohn McClure
Country of origin United States
Headquarters location Elmwood, Louisiana
Distribution United States and worldwide
Key peopleStuart Omer Landry, Hodding Carter, Milburn Calhoun
Publication types books
Nonfiction topics history, travel guides, art, architecture, children's books, textbooks, Louisiana
Official website pelicanpub.com , www.arcadiapublishing.com/imprints/pelican-publishing

Pelican Publishing Company is a book publisher based in Elmwood, Louisiana, with a New Orleans postal address. [1] It was acquired in 2019 by Arcadia Publishing, a leading publisher of local and regional content in the United States. [2]

Contents

Pelican publishes approximately 60 titles per year and maintains a backlist of over 2,500 books. [3] Most of its titles relate to Louisiana and Southern culture, cuisine, art, travel guides, history, children's books, and textbooks.

History

Founded in 1926 by John McClure, Pelican's early history was tied to William Faulkner. Its roots were in the Pelican Bookshop on Royal Street, a hangout for New Orleans' literary circle of the time, which included Faulkner, Sherwood Anderson, Caroline Durieux, Grace King, and Lyle Saxon. [4]

Its first release was Sherwood Anderson and Other Famous Creoles: A Gallery of Contemporary New Orleans, a book of illustrations by William Spratling with captions and a foreword by Faulkner. Spratling and Faulkner were roommates in a building just off Jackson Square. [5] [6] [7] The book was a play on the Mexican cartoonist Miguel Covarrubias' The Prince of Wales and Other Famous Americans , published the previous year; just as the Prince of Wales was not an American, Sherwood Anderson was not a Creole.

Stuart Omer Landry period

In early 1927, Pelican was acquired by Stuart Omer Landry, who owned the publisher until his death in 1966. [8] [9] Landry, who was born on his father's Alma plantation near Thibodaux, worked in advertising and was a founding board member of the Metairie Park Country Day School. [10] Landry was anti-New Deal and a racial conservative, and under him, Pelican published many books advocating white supremacist and segregationist positions, including his own The Cult of Equality: A Study of the Race Problem (1945), The Battle of Liberty Place: The Overthrow of Carpet-bag Rule in New Orleans, September 14, 1874 (1955) (a defense of the White League and the Ku Klux Klan), and Rebuilding the Tower of Babel: A Study of Christianity and Segregation (1957). [11] [12] [13] [14]

The African-American newspaper the California Eagle called Landry "an old-line Southerner of the traditional Keep-the-Negro-in-Place School." [15] Landry also published the first edition of the Louisiana Almanac in 1949. [16] Historian Lawrence N. Powell described Landry's Battle of Liberty Place as "propaganda, using history to defend segregation and a racial status quo." [17]

Sales to Hodding Carter and to the Calhouns

After Landry's death, Pelican was bought in 1967 by Hodding Carter, the Pulitzer Prize-winning progressive journalist. [18] He renamed the publisher to Pelican Publishing House, but his ownership lasted only three years. In 1970, Carter sold Pelican to brothers Milburn and James L. Calhoun, natives of West Monroe in north Louisiana. [19] Milburn, who became Pelican's publisher and president, was a physician in New Orleans; James, who would be Pelican's senior editor, did public relations work for Louisiana State University. The brothers already owned a similar publisher, Bayou Books of New Orleans. [20] The brothers were, like Landry, conservative; among the first books issued under their ownership was The Real Spiro Agnew: Commonsense Quotations of a Household Word, edited by James Calhoun. [21]

By 1998, the headquarters was in suburban Gretna, where a 1998 fire at the publisher's offices and warehouse did an estimated $2 million in damage. [22]

Neo-Confederate books

Along with works of local history and other mainstream nonfiction, the Calhouns also turned Pelican into what has been called "the central publishing house of the Neo-Confederate movement," including books that helped "found the modern neo-Confederate movement." [17] [23] Among the titles it published were Was Jefferson Davis Right? , [24] and other similar work.

These books argue that "the Confederacy was the true moral victor in the Civil War...the Civil War was not fought over slavery," and "that the South should separate from the North all over again and form its own country." [25]

In a 2001 interview with the local weekly Gambit , Milburn Calhoun endorsed secession from the United States ("Oh, we would be much better off that way"), said Southern slaveowners "took care of our slaves because they had value," and that "Racism is not hate based on skin color...There are people who devoutly hate Southerners. That’s racism. The most widespread hatred of today is against practicing Christians." [25] [26] The neo-Confederate books Pelican published were consistently among its biggest sellers. [26]

After Milburn Calhoun

Milburn Calhoun died in 2012, after which his daughter Kathleen Calhoun Nettleton became publisher and president. [27] [28] James L. Calhoun died in 2019. During their ownership, Pelican's catalog had grown from 22 books to more than 2,000. [29]

In 2019, Arcadia Publishing bought a majority interest in the company. [30] A majority of Pelican's past titles were acquired in the transaction and are now published under the Pelican imprint of Arcadia. Pelican Publishing Company, still owned by the family of Nettleton (who died in 2021 [31] ), retains rights on the remainder. [32]

In 2020, Arcadia Publishing acquired River Road Press, another publisher of books about New Orleans, Louisiana, and the surrounding region. Scott Campbell, River Road's founder, was named publisher of Pelican Publishing and the two company's catalogs were merged. [33]

For a period beginning circa 2020, the headquarters was in New Orleans proper. [34] Later that year, it moved to its current location. [35]

Significant titles

Noteworthy titles from Pelican Publishing including:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opelousas, Louisiana</span> City in Louisiana, United States

Opelousas is a small city and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190 were constructed with a junction here. According to the 2020 census, Opelousas has a population of 15,786, a 6.53 percent decline since the 2010 census, which had recorded a population of 16,634. Opelousas is the principal city for the Opelousas-Eunice Micropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 80,808 in 2020. Opelousas is also the fourth largest city in the Lafayette-Acadiana Combined Statistical Area, which has a population of 537,947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louisiana Creole</span> French-based creole in Louisiana

Louisiana Creole is a French-based creole language spoken by fewer than 10,000 people, mostly in the US state of Louisiana. Also known as Kouri-Vini, it is spoken today by people who may racially identify as white, black, mixed, and Native American, as well as Cajun and Creole. It should not be confused with its sister language, Louisiana French, a dialect of the French language. Many Louisiana Creoles do not speak the Louisiana Creole language and may instead use French or English as their everyday languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Spratling</span>

William Spratling was an American-born silver designer and artist, best known for his influence on 20th century Mexican silver design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pelican Stadium</span> Former stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana

Pelican Stadium, originally known as Heinemann Park (1915–1937), was a sports stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana from 1915 to 1957.

<i>The Advocate</i> (Louisiana) Newspaper in Louisiana, United States

The Advocate is Louisiana's largest daily newspaper. Based in Baton Rouge, it serves the southern portion of the state. Separate editions for New Orleans, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate, and for Acadiana, The Acadiana Advocate, are published. It also publishes gambit, about New Orleans food, culture, events, and news, and weekly entertainment magazines: Red in Baton Rouge and Lafayette, and Beaucoup in New Orleans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louisiana Creole people</span> Ethnic group of Louisiana, USA

Louisiana Creoles are a Louisiana French ethnic group descended from the inhabitants of colonial Louisiana before it became a part of the United States during the period of both French and Spanish rule. They share cultural ties such as the traditional use of the French, Spanish, and Creole languages and predominant practice of Catholicism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1920 Louisiana gubernatorial election</span>

The 1920 Louisiana gubernatorial election was held on April 20, 1920. Like most Southern states between the Reconstruction Era and the Civil Rights Movement, Louisiana's Republican Party had virtually no electoral support. This meant that the Democratic Party primary held on January 20 was the real contest over who would be governor. The election resulted in the election of John M. Parker as governor of Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry L. Fuqua</span> American politician

Henry Luse Fuqua Sr., was an American government official and politician. A Democrat, he is most notable for his service as the 38th Governor of Louisiana from 1924 until his death in 1926.

The Creoles of color are a historic ethnic group of Louisiana Creoles that developed in the former French and Spanish colonies of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Northwestern Florida, in what is now the United States. French colonists in Louisiana first used the term "Creole" to refer to people born in the colony, rather than in Europe, thus drawing a distinction between Old-World Europeans and Africans from their descendants born in the New World. Today, many of these Creoles of color have assimilated into Black culture, while some chose to remain a separate yet inclusive subsection of the African American ethnic group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arnaud's</span> Restaurant in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.

Arnaud's is a restaurant in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, specializing in Louisiana Creole cuisine. Established in 1918, it is one of the older and more famous restaurants in the city. The restaurant also houses a museum of the New Orleans Mardi Gras.

Lyle Saxon was a writer and journalist who reported for The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, Louisiana. He directed the Federal Writers' Project Works Progress Administration (WPA) guide to Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arcadia Publishing</span> American publisher of local history books

Arcadia Publishing is an American publisher of neighborhood, local, and regional history of the United States in pictorial form. Arcadia Publishing also runs the History Press, which publishes text-driven books on American history and folklore.

Rouses Markets are a chain of grocery supermarkets in the U.S. states of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi with more than 6,500 employees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolland Golden</span> American visual artist (1931–2019)

Rolland Harve Golden was an American visual artist known mainly for his realism, abstract realism and "Borderline-Surrealisterm", a term he used to describe a style of his where the subject is "not entirely impossible, but highly unlikely." He is listed in Marquis Who's Who in America, Marquis Who's Who in American Art and Marquis Who's Who in the World.

The Prince of Wales and Other Famous Americans is a 1925 book by Miguel Covarrubias, a Mexican cartoonist. It is a collection of 66 black-and-white caricatures of famous American personalities from the 1920s. The future Edward VIII, alluded to in the title, appears as the frontispiece at a race track; he had made a widely publicized visit to the United States in 1924. Many of the drawings were originally published in Vanity Fair magazine, which employed Covarrubias as a staff cartoonist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul E. Poincy</span> American painter

Paul Ėdouard Poincy was an artist in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States who specialized in portrait, religious, landscape, and genre painting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Boston Club</span> Gentlemens club in New Orleans, LA, USA

The Boston Club is an exclusive private gentlemen's club in New Orleans, Louisiana, US, founded in 1841 as a place for its white members to congregate and partake in the fashionable card game of Boston. It is the third oldest City Club in the United States, after the Philadelphia Club (1834) and Union Club of the City of New York (1836).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Pickwick Club</span> New Orleans private gentlemens club

The Pickwick Club is a private gentlemen's club in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 1857, The Pickwick Club and the Mistick Krewe were originally one group comprising two organizations. After The Boston Club, The Pickwick Club is the second oldest remaining in the city.

Dixie Bohemia: A French Quarter Circle in the 1920s is a 2012 book by John Shelton Reed, published by Louisiana State University Press.

References

  1. ↑ "Contact Us". pelicanpub.com. Retrieved 2023-12-27. Pelican Publishing 990 N. Corporate Dr., Suite 100 New Orleans, LA 70123 - The address states "New Orleans, LA" but the physical location is in the Elmwood CDP. The directions to a particular intersection refer to an earlier headquarters location in New Orleans proper, and does not reflect the latest update.
  2. ↑ "In the age of distraction, one small publisher keeps local history alive in sepia tones". The Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  3. ↑ Herman, Jeff (2012). Herman's Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, & Literary Agents . Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, Inc. p.  269. ISBN   9781402260612.
  4. ↑ "About Us". pelicanpub.com. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  5. ↑ "Sherwood Anderson and Other Famous Creoles: A Gallery of Contemporary New Orleans, William Faulkner's New Orleans". Howard-Tilton Memorial Library. Tulane University. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  6. ↑ Spratling, William; Faulkner, William (1 January 2022). Sherwood Anderson and Other Famous Creoles. Open Road Media. ISBN   978-1-5040-6815-4 . Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  7. ↑ Reed, John Shelton (17 September 2012). Dixie Bohemia: A French Quarter Circle in the 1920s. LSU Press. ISBN   978-0-8071-4766-5 . Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  8. ↑ "La. Publisher, Historian Dies". The Daily World. 2 Aug 1966. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  9. ↑ "Charter of Pelican Book Shop, Incorporated". West Bank Herald. 27 Jan 1927. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  10. ↑ "In Which We Sink Our Modesty and Talk About Ourselves..." Louisville Courier-Journal. 3 Feb 1930. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  11. ↑ Landry, Stuart Omer (1945). The Cult Of Equality. Pelican Publishing.
  12. ↑ "A Nation At The Racial Crossroads; Indictment Of Champions Of Equality". The Montgomery Advertiser. 15 Apr 1945. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  13. ↑ Facincani, Lee. ""The Liberty of the Nation is in Jeopardy": Views on the Battle of Liberty Place From Beyond Dixie". University of New Orleans. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  14. ↑ Landry, Stuart Omer (1957). Rebuilding the Tower of Babel: A Study of Christianity and Segregation. Pelican Publishing. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  15. ↑ Gardner, Dan (18 Oct 1945). "Plain Talk: Dark Races on the March". The California Eagle. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  16. ↑ Phillips, Faye (2007). "Review of Louisiana Almanac, 2006-2007 Edition". Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association. 48 (4): 492–494. ISSN   0024-6816. JSTOR   25478516 . Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  17. 1 2 Adler, Constance (27 Feb 2001). "The House That Dr. Calhoun Built". Gambit. p. 2. Archived from the original on 30 June 2001. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  18. ↑ "Carter Will Become Book Publisher". Biloxi Daily Herald. 1 Mar 1967. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  19. ↑ "Hodding Carter Sells Pelican Publishing Co". The Concordia Sentinel. 22 Apr 1970. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  20. ↑ "Publishing Firm Bought By Former City Residents". The Monroe News-Star. 23 Apr 1970. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  21. ↑ "Vice-Presidential Discussion". North Baton Rouge Journal. 5 Nov 1970. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  22. ↑ "Fire ravages publishing company in Jeff Parish". The Daily Advertiser. 3 Jan 1998. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  23. ↑ Sebesta, Edward H. "Neo-Confederate publisher of books for African American children". H-Net. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  24. ↑ "Pelican's Index 1999: W". Pelican Publishing Company. Archived from the original on 1999-10-11. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  25. 1 2 Adler, Constance (27 Feb 2001). "The House That Dr. Calhoun Built". Gambit. p. 1. Archived from the original on 28 April 2001. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  26. 1 2 Adler, Constance (27 Feb 2001). "The House That Dr. Calhoun Built". Gambit. p. 3. Archived from the original on 7 May 2001. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  27. ↑ "Milburn Calhoun Obituary (2012) - New Orleans, LA - The Times-Picayune". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  28. ↑ Coen, Cheré (22 Apr 2012). "World Book Night celebrates reading, books". The Daily Advertiser. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  29. ↑ "Obituary for James Lynton Calhoun". The Monroe News-Star. 5 Dec 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  30. ↑ Milliot, Jim (April 4, 2019). "Arcadia Will Buy Pelican Publishing". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  31. ↑ "Kathleen Nettleton Obituary (1958 - 2021) - New Orleans, LA - The Times-Picayune". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  32. ↑ "Arcadia Publishing to Acquire Pelican Publishing Company". Biz New Orleans. 2019-04-04. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  33. ↑ "Arcadia Publishing to Acquire River Road Press". Biz New Orleans. 2020-05-07. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  34. ↑ "Pelican Publishing Company". Archived from the original on 2020-05-13. Retrieved 2023-12-27. Pelican Publishing 400 Poydras Street, Suite 900 New Orleans, LA 70130
  35. ↑ "Pelican Publishing Company". Archived from the original on 2020-08-16. Retrieved 2023-12-27. Our new address is: Pelican Publishing 990 N. Corporate Dr., Suite 100 New Orleans, LA 70123
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.