ORIGINS AND BACKGROUND

    The progenitor of the present Darwin Press was a printer of the same name active in the early 20th century. Located in New Bedford, Mass., the company also published books, such as In Quest of Gorillas, by W. K. Gregory and H. Raven, in 1937, and a genealogy in 1947. The color lithographers Reynolds-DeWalt were the successors to the Darwin Press, and the publishing program was discontinued in the 1950s.

    The present Darwin Press, Inc. was founded in 1970 by Albert McGrigor and Ed Breisacher, with the purpose of publishing books serving a community of academics, professionals, and educated laypersons.

    Darwin's first title, Social Implications of Biological Education (1970), prepared by the National Association of Biology Teachers and edited by Arnold B. Grobman, would send the company on its mission in service to science. Following the success of this book, the press undertook the re-publication of Poisonous and Venomous Marine Animals of the World, by Bruce W. Halstead, M.D., first published in three volumes by the U.S. Government Printing Office during the 1960s. The second edition published in 1988 received enthusiastic reviews in scholarly and medical journals and is now recognized as a milestone of biological research and the standard reference source in the field of aquatic zootoxicology. The book was followed by Dr. Halstead's Dangerous Aquatic Animals of the World: A Color Atlas (1992), illustrated with more than 500 color illustrations.

    Other early works in science in the 1970s include Man's Plague (1976) and The Ant Heap (1979), both books by Professor V. G. Dethier. A long-out-of-print classic in botany, Orchids: Their Culture and Management by W. Watson, became a Darwin^® facsimile reprint (1979) and a beautiful example of the art of the Victorian bookmaker. Publishing in the fields of biology, ecology, evolution, natural history, and scientific research remains a top priority for the press.

    Darwin Press became well-known through titles that have become landmark books in their respective fields, e.g., The Multinational Enterprise in Transition (1972); and Rena C. Gropper’s Gypsies in the City (1975). Of particular note is the growing list of titles in Middle East Studies, where Darwin has always had a special interest. Darwin’s first book in this field was From Madina to Metropolis (1973), edited by Professor L. Carl Brown of Princeton University; the book has become a classic in the field of urban studies and architecture. An Arab Philosophy of History: Selections from the Prolegomena of Ibn Khaldun of Tunis, edited and translated by the late Charles Issawi, has been reprinted numerous times since the publication of the First Edition in 1950 by John Murray, the original publisher of Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species, an interesting but coincidental connection. And one of our more recent titles, Central Asia (1996), by Professor R. D. McChesney of New York University, has been acclaimed “for its clarity and readability” and as a “counterweight to the superficial analysis that prevails in publications by the instant experts” (MESA Bulletin). Historical Dimensions of Islam: Pre-Modern and Modern Periods, our most recent title, was written as a tribute to Professor R. Stephen Humphreys by 12 of his former graduate students and reflect the broad chronological and disciplinary scope of Professor Humphreys' erudition.

    A relatively new series in the area of Middle East Studies is "Studies in Late Antiquity and Early Islam," which has enjoyed astonishing success since its inauguration in 1989, and there are now 18 titles in print. Reviews of the series have been unanimously praiseworthy, and some published titles have already been reprinted several times. The editing (now under the direction of Dr. Lawrence I. Conrad and Professor Jens Scheiner) and design and production (by the late John T. Westlake) have been acclaimed by reviewers and users alike.

    Recent titles in biology that have been critically acclaimed are Coral Reefs: Cities Under The Sea by Richard C. Murphy, Ph.D., in a newly revised second printing; Darwinian Happiness: Evolution as a Guide for Living and Understanding Human Behavior by Dr. Bjørn Grinde; and the Golden Retriever Puppy Handbook by R. Ann Johnson.

    A new title in the field of Biographies, Memoirs, and Travel is Sea Time, by William F. Haynes, Jr., M.D. and Honest Thieves: The Diary of a Tangier Smuggler by John L. Moore. Another forthcoming title in this field will be an encyclopedic volume, scheduled for publication this year, entitled: Last Resting Places.

    Darwin is committed to serving the academic community by upholding the highest standards of scholarship, editing, and production. Many of our authors are leading scholars and experts in their respective fields. We are dedicated to helping them reach an audience of peers, scholars, professionals, and educated laypersons—with knowledge and research that explores the wonders of our world and the universe.

Ed Breisacher, Publisher