Ten Speed Press

Ten Speed Press is an American book publisher founded in Berkeley, California, in 1971 by Phil Wood. It developed a distinctive identity through practical nonfiction and illustrated books that often combined accessible writing with playful, highly designed presentation. Its list has included cookbooks, food and beverage titles, gardening and nature books, health and lifestyle works, arts and crafts manuals, practical guides, and books for children. The imprint has also been associated with subjects that larger trade publishers sometimes treated as niche, including alternative lifestyles, metaphysics, healing, home organization, and unconventional forms of cooking and domestic practice. Wood had previously worked in book retail and publishing, including roles with Barnes & Noble and Penguin Books. Ten Speed's first publication was Tom Cuthbertson's Anybody's Bike Book, a practical cycling title that helped inspire the company's name and remained in print for many years. The publisher subsequently built a broad backlist around specialized subjects presented in an informal and visually appealing manner. Its books were frequently recognized for unusual formats, colorful layouts, illustrations, and designs adapted to the character of the subject rather than to a uniform corporate template. A major commercial success was Richard N. Bolles's What Color Is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers, first published by Ten Speed in 1972. The title became a long-running career-advice franchise, was repeatedly revised and reissued, and had sold more than ten million copies by 2009 according to reference material associated with the publisher's history. Other notable books connected with the imprint include Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook, White Trash Cooking, Why Cats Paint, The Bread Baker's Apprentice, Vegetable Literacy, Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, Franklin Barbecue, and Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Ten Speed expanded through acquisitions and associated imprints. In 1983 it acquired Celestial Arts, a Millbrae, California publisher that had originated as a printer of rock-music posters. In 2002 it acquired Crossing Press, whose list focused on metaphysics, alternative lifestyles, and healing. By the late 2000s the company was publishing through Ten Speed Press, Celestial Arts, Crossing Press, and Tricycle Press, with more than 100 new hardcover and trade-paperback titles annually and a backlist exceeding 1,000 active titles. Tricycle Press served as its children's imprint and published books addressing varied family structures, including Who's in a Family? and King & King; it stopped publishing new books in 2011. Random House acquired Ten Speed Press in February 2009, after which the publisher became part of Random House's Crown Publishing Group. Following the acquisition, Ten Speed continued as an imprint within the Crown structure rather than operating as an independent publishing house. Watson-Guptill became an imprint of Ten Speed Press within Crown in 2013. A graphic-books imprint, Ten Speed Graphic, was introduced in 2023, extending the brand into comics, illustrated nonfiction, and other visually driven formats. Ten Speed Press is therefore best understood today as a publishing imprint within Penguin Random House's Crown Publishing Group, with a legacy centered on distinctive design, practical expertise, and accessible specialist nonfiction.

Ten Speed Press was established in Berkeley, California, in 1971 by Phil Wood. Before founding the company, Wood had worked with Barnes & Noble and Penguin Books, including senior sales roles in Baltimore and New York. The company's first book was Tom Cuthbertson's Anybody's Bike Book, a practical cycling manual whose commercial durability helped establish the publisher's interest in useful, approachable nonfiction. The title also provided the inspiration for the Ten Speed name. During its independent period, Ten Speed developed a list that differed from a conventional mass-market publisher through its combination of practical subject matter and conspicuous design. The company published cookbooks, food culture, gardening books, craft manuals, lifestyle guides, and other nonfiction that could benefit from illustration, diagrams, unusual trim sizes, or highly colored page layouts. Its books were often designed to reflect the personality of their subjects, making the imprint recognizable for a willingness to use whimsical formats and visual treatments. The publisher's most important long-term commercial property was What Color Is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers by Richard N. Bolles, first issued by Ten Speed in 1972. The career guide was revised in successive editions and became a major backlist title. By 2009, reference material reported sales of more than ten million copies and translations into 20 languages. Ten Speed also built a notable food and lifestyle list through books such as Moosewood Cookbook, White Trash Cooking, Why Cats Paint, The Bread Baker's Apprentice, Vegetable Literacy, Jerusalem, Franklin Barbecue, and The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Ten Speed expanded its publishing reach by acquiring related businesses and operating multiple imprints. In 1983 it acquired Celestial Arts in Millbrae, California. Celestial Arts had begun in the late 1960s as a printer of rock-music posters before becoming a publisher. In 2002 Ten Speed acquired Crossing Press, known for books on metaphysics, alternative lifestyles, healing, and related subjects. Tricycle Press functioned as the company's children's imprint and published titles including Amelia's Notebooks, Who's in a Family?, and King & King. The latter two books addressed diverse family structures, including families with gay parents. Tricycle Press ceased publishing new books in 2011. By 2009, Ten Speed and its associated imprints were issuing more than 100 new hardcover and trade-paperback titles annually and maintaining a backlist of more than 1,000 active titles. Random House acquired the company in February of that year, placing it within the Crown Publishing Group. The transaction changed Ten Speed's corporate setting but preserved the imprint as a vehicle for practical and visually distinctive nonfiction. Phil Wood died of cancer in December 2010. Within Crown, Watson-Guptill became an imprint of Ten Speed Press in 2013. In 2023, Ten Speed launched Ten Speed Graphic, a graphic imprint that broadened the brand's connection with illustrated publishing and graphic nonfiction. Ten Speed Press is now associated with Penguin Random House through Crown Publishing Group. Its historical continuity rests less on a single genre than on a publishing approach: finding specialist subjects, making them accessible to general readers, and giving their books a strong visual and material identity.

• 2023

  Ten Speed Graphic launched

  [1]Ten Speed Pressen.wikipedia.org

  Ten Speed introduced a graphic imprint focused on illustrated and graphic publishing.

• 2013

  Watson-Guptill became an imprint

  [1]Ten Speed Pressen.wikipedia.org

  Watson-Guptill joined Ten Speed Press within the Crown Publishing Group.

• 2011

  Tricycle Press stopped issuing new books

  [1]Ten Speed Pressen.wikipedia.org

  Ten Speed's children's imprint Tricycle Press ceased publishing new titles.

• 2009

  Random House acquisition

  [1]Ten Speed Pressen.wikipedia.org

  Random House bought Ten Speed Press and placed it within Crown Publishing Group.

• 2002

  Crossing Press acquired

  [1]Ten Speed Pressen.wikipedia.org

  Ten Speed acquired Crossing Press, expanding its list in metaphysics, alternative lifestyles, and healing.

• 1997

  Who's in a Family? published by Tricycle Press

  [1]Ten Speed Pressen.wikipedia.org

  The children's imprint Tricycle Press published a book presenting multiple forms of family structure.

• 1983

  Celestial Arts acquired

  [1]Ten Speed Pressen.wikipedia.org

  Ten Speed acquired Celestial Arts, a Millbrae publisher with origins in rock-poster printing.

• 1972

  What Color Is Your Parachute? published by Ten Speed

  [1]Ten Speed Pressen.wikipedia.org

  Richard N. Bolles's career guide became Ten Speed Press's most commercially successful long-running title.

• 1971

  Ten Speed Press founded in Berkeley

  [1]Ten Speed Pressen.wikipedia.org

  Phil Wood founded Ten Speed Press in Berkeley, California.

• 1971

  Anybody's Bike Book became the first publication

  [1]Ten Speed Pressen.wikipedia.org

  Tom Cuthbertson's Anybody's Bike Book was the company's first book and remained in print as a durable cycling title.

A trade-publishing imprint focused on practical, specialist, and lifestyle nonfiction presented through approachable writing, strong visual design, and subject-specific formats. Its historical identity combines useful instruction with colorful, humorous, and sometimes unconventional presentation.

• Career guidance · 1972

  What Color Is Your Parachute?

  Richard N. Bolles's practical manual for job hunters and career changers is Ten Speed Press's best-known long-running franchise. First published by the imprint in 1972, it was updated through successive editions and became a major career-advice backlist title with international circulation.

• Cookbook

  Moosewood Cookbook

  Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook is one of the notable food titles associated with Ten Speed Press. It represents the imprint's long-standing role in publishing accessible, strongly designed cookbooks with a distinctive authorial and visual personality.

• Baking cookbook

  The Bread Baker's Apprentice

  A baking title associated with Ten Speed's instructional food list, The Bread Baker's Apprentice reflects the publisher's emphasis on detailed technique, practical guidance, and visually supported nonfiction for serious home cooks.

• Gardening and food

  Vegetable Literacy

  Vegetable Literacy combines gardening knowledge, plant relationships, and cooking-oriented information. It exemplifies Ten Speed's tendency to connect food publishing with horticulture, natural history, and practical home use.

• Cookbook

  Jerusalem

  Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi is a prominent international food title associated with Ten Speed Press. It presents recipes and culinary culture from Jerusalem through a highly visual trade-cookbook format.

• Cookbook

  Franklin Barbecue

  Franklin Barbecue is a specialist barbecue and smoking title associated with Ten Speed's food publishing program. Its subject-specific approach illustrates the imprint's practice of turning focused culinary expertise into accessible trade books.

• Home organization · 2014

  The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

  Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, published in 2014, extended Ten Speed's lifestyle list into home organization and decluttering. It became one of the imprint's internationally recognizable contemporary titles.

• Graphic books · 2023

  Ten Speed Graphic

  Ten Speed Graphic is a graphic publishing imprint launched in 2023. It extends Ten Speed Press's established interest in illustrated, design-led nonfiction into graphic-book formats.

• 2023

  Launch of Ten Speed GraphicProduct launch

  Background

  Ten Speed Press had a long history of visually distinctive and illustrated publishing.

  Action taken

  The company launched Ten Speed Graphic as a dedicated graphic imprint.

  Aftermath

  The launch extended Ten Speed's design-led publishing identity into graphic books and illustrated nonfiction.

  Source

• 2013

  Watson-Guptill integrationStrategy

  Background

  Following the Random House acquisition, Crown reorganized parts of its illustrated and practical publishing activity.

  Action taken

  Watson-Guptill became an imprint of Ten Speed Press within Crown Publishing Group.

  Aftermath

  The move connected Watson-Guptill's arts, design, and practical publishing list with Ten Speed's broader imprint structure.

  Source

• 2011

  Closure of new publishing under Tricycle PressStrategy

  Background

  Tricycle Press had operated as Ten Speed's children's imprint and published books about childhood and diverse family structures.

  Action taken

  Tricycle Press stopped publishing new books.

  Aftermath

  The children's imprint no longer issued new titles, although its earlier books remained part of the publisher's publishing history.

  Source

• 2009

  Sale to Random HouseM&A

  Background

  Ten Speed Press was an established independent publisher with multiple imprints and a substantial backlist.

  Action taken

  Random House acquired Ten Speed Press in February 2009 and placed it in the Crown Publishing Group.

  Aftermath

  Ten Speed continued as an imprint within a major publishing group rather than as an independent company.

  Source

• 2002

  Acquisition of Crossing PressM&A

  Background

  Crossing Press specialized in metaphysics, alternative lifestyles, healing, and related subjects.

  Action taken

  Ten Speed acquired Crossing Press and added its specialized publishing program to the company.

  Aftermath

  Crossing Press became one of the imprints operated alongside Ten Speed Press, Celestial Arts, and Tricycle Press.

  Source

• 1983

  Acquisition of Celestial ArtsM&A

  Background

  Ten Speed Press expanded beyond its original list by acquiring Celestial Arts in Millbrae, California.

  Action taken

  The publisher brought Celestial Arts into its portfolio of publishing operations and imprints.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition broadened Ten Speed's presence in lifestyle and alternative-interest publishing.

  Source

• 2023

  Ten Speed Graphic launched[1]Ten Speed Pressen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Ten Speed introduced Ten Speed Graphic as a graphic-books imprint, expanding its publishing activity in illustrated and graphic formats.

• 2013

  Watson-Guptill joined Ten Speed Press as an imprint[1]Ten Speed Pressen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Watson-Guptill became an imprint of Ten Speed Press within the Crown Publishing Group.

• 2010

  Phil Wood died after founding and leading Ten Speed Press[1]Ten Speed Pressen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Founder Phil Wood died of cancer in December 2010.

• 2009

  Random House acquired Ten Speed Press[1]Ten Speed Pressen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Ten Speed Press was acquired by Random House in February 2009 and integrated into the Crown Publishing Group.

1. 1Ten Speed Pressen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Ten Speed Press imprint archivecrownpublishing.com