Arthur H. Clark Company

The Arthur H. Clark Company is an American publishing and bookselling imprint specializing in the history of the Western United States, the American frontier, exploration, Indigenous and colonial history, and related Americana. Founded in Cleveland in 1902 by Arthur Henry Clark, the company developed from its founder's experience in rare books, scholarly publishing, and historical source material. It became particularly associated with carefully edited documentary collections and substantial reference works intended for historians, libraries, collectors, and readers of Western American history. Arthur Henry Clark was born and raised in England and spent part of his education at Oxford before financial difficulties led him to seek employment. He apprenticed with the London publishing house Henry Southern & Company, later moved to Chicago, and worked at A. C. McClurg and Company. In 1892 he established a Chicago bookstore. He subsequently joined the Burrows Brothers publishing and bookselling firm in Cleveland, where he managed rare-book sales and played a leading role in the publication of The Jesuit Relations, a major documentary series concerning early French Catholic missions in North America. Clark established his namesake company in Cleveland in 1902. Its first publication was a sixteen-volume work by Archer Butler Hulbert on historic trails in the United States east of the Mississippi River. A subsequent early project collected lectures by historian John Bach McMaster. These publications established a pattern that continued throughout the company's history: long-form, research-oriented works that assembled, edited, or interpreted primary and secondary material relating to American history. The company moved its headquarters to Glendale, California, in 1930. After the death of its founder in 1951, leadership passed to Arthur H. Clark Jr. During the following decades, the firm undertook one of its most ambitious projects, the fourteen-volume The Far West and the Rockies, 1820-1875. Edited by Leroy R. Hafen and Ann W. Hafen, the series brought together primary documents concerning the exploration, settlement, politics, and development of the early American West. The project reflects the company's long-standing role as a specialist publisher serving historical scholarship rather than a mass-market publishing house. In July 2006, the Arthur H. Clark Company was acquired by the University of Oklahoma Press and relocated to Norman, Oklahoma. It continues as an imprint of the press, retaining its identity and historical specialization within a larger university-publishing organization. Its catalog remains centered on Western American history and related areas of Americana, with books distributed through academic, library, specialist, and general-interest channels. The company is therefore best understood today as a specialist historical publishing imprint rather than an independent publicly traded corporation.

Arthur Henry Clark's career combined rare-book dealing, bookselling, and historical publishing. Born and raised in England, Clark studied at Oxford for a time but entered the workforce after financial reverses affected his family. He trained at Henry Southern & Company, a publishing house, before moving to Chicago. There he joined A. C. McClurg and Company and gained further experience in the American book trade. In 1892 he opened a bookstore in Chicago. Clark later moved to Cleveland after being recruited by Burrows Brothers. As manager of the firm's rare-book sales, he became involved in the preparation and publication of The Jesuit Relations, a documentary record of early French Jesuit missions in North America. This experience helped establish his credentials as a publisher of historically significant source material. In 1902 Clark founded the Arthur H. Clark Company in Cleveland as a bookselling and publishing business. The firm's first publication was a sixteen-volume collection by Archer Butler Hulbert concerning historic trails in the United States east of the Mississippi River. Its next major publication collected lectures by historian John Bach McMaster. From the beginning, the company concentrated on substantial historical works rather than short-lived commercial titles. The company relocated its headquarters to Glendale, California, in 1930. After Clark's death in 1951, his son, Arthur H. Clark Jr., assumed leadership. Under the succeeding generation, the company continued producing specialist books and embarked on a major documentary undertaking: the fourteen-volume The Far West and the Rockies, 1820-1875, edited by Leroy R. Hafen and Ann W. Hafen. The series assembled primary material on the early history of the American West and became one of the company's defining publishing achievements. The firm remained an independent specialist publisher for much of the twentieth century, building a reputation among historians, libraries, collectors, and readers interested in Western Americana. In July 2006, the University of Oklahoma Press acquired the company and moved it to Norman, Oklahoma. The Arthur H. Clark name was retained as an imprint. Its later organizational position within a university press connected its historical list to a broader academic publishing infrastructure while preserving its distinctive focus on the American West, documentary history, exploration, frontier studies, and related Americana.

• 2006

  Acquired by the University of Oklahoma Press

  [1]Arthur H. Clark Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The University of Oklahoma Press acquired the company and moved it to Norman, Oklahoma, where it continued as an imprint.

• 2002

  Centennial history published

  [2]The Arthur H. Clark Company: An Americana Century, 1902-2002search.worldcat.org

  The company published The Arthur H. Clark Company: An Americana Century, 1902-2002, a historical account and bibliography covering its first century.

• 1951

  Leadership passed to Arthur H. Clark Jr.

  [1]Arthur H. Clark Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Following the death of founder Arthur Henry Clark, leadership of the company was taken over by Arthur H. Clark Jr.

• 1930

  Headquarters moved to Glendale

  [1]Arthur H. Clark Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The company relocated its headquarters from Cleveland to Glendale, California.

• 1902

  Arthur H. Clark Company founded in Cleveland

  [1]Arthur H. Clark Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Arthur Henry Clark established the company as a bookselling and publishing business in Cleveland, Ohio.

• 1902

  First publication issued

  [1]Arthur H. Clark Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The company's first publication was Archer Butler Hulbert's sixteen-volume collection on historic trails in the United States east of the Mississippi River.

A specialist historical publisher focused on authoritative, research-oriented works about the American West and broader Americana, with a strong emphasis on documentary sources, edited primary materials, and durable scholarly reference titles.

• Documentary history series

  The Far West and the Rockies, 1820-1875

  A fourteen-volume series edited by Leroy R. Hafen and Ann W. Hafen. It brings together primary documents relating to the early history of the American West and Rocky Mountain region, including exploration, migration, settlement, and political development. The series represents one of the company's largest and most characteristic publishing projects.

• Historical reference series · 1902

  Archer Butler Hulbert historical-trails collection

  The company's first publication was a sixteen-volume collection by Archer Butler Hulbert concerning historic trails in the United States east of the Mississippi River. The project established the company's early reputation for extensive, research-based works on American historical geography and transportation routes.

• Historical documentary series

  The Jesuit Relations

  Arthur Henry Clark was the principal force behind the publication of The Jesuit Relations while he was associated with Burrows Brothers before founding his own company. The series consists of historical records concerning Jesuit missions in North America and illustrates Clark's early involvement in documentary historical publishing.

• 2006

  Join the University of Oklahoma PressM&A

  Background

  The specialist publisher had developed a long-standing catalog in Western American history and Americana, while the University of Oklahoma Press provided a university-press structure and distribution platform.

  Action taken

  The University of Oklahoma Press acquired Arthur H. Clark Company and relocated its operations to Norman, Oklahoma, retaining the name as an imprint.

  Aftermath

  The Arthur H. Clark name continued within the University of Oklahoma Press, preserving its specialist historical publishing identity.

  Source

• 2006

  University of Oklahoma Press acquires Arthur H. Clark Company[1]Arthur H. Clark Companyen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  The University of Oklahoma Press acquired the Arthur H. Clark Company in July 2006. The company moved from Glendale, California, to Norman, Oklahoma, and continued as an imprint of the university press.

1. 1Arthur H. Clark Companyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Arthur H. Clark Company: An Americana Century, 1902-2002search.worldcat.org
3. 3The Arthur H. Clark Company, Publisher of the West: A Review of Sixty Years of Service, 1902-1962jstor.org
4. 4University of Oklahoma Press publisher pageoupress.com