The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group has acquired the publishing assets of Amherst, N.Y.-based Prometheus Books.
Founded in 1969 by philosopher Paul Kurtz, Prometheus has a backlist of 1,700 active titles, published under the Prometheus and Humanity Books imprints. Last November, Prometheus sold its fiction imprints to Start Publishing to focus on its nonfiction titles.
Jonathan Kurtz, son of Paul and longtime president of Prometheus Books, will continue to oversee the editorial acquisition efforts of he publisher, with the help of editor Jake Bonar. The trade titles published under the Prometheus Books imprint will become part of R&L’s Globe Pequot trade division, and will continue to be released under the Prometheus name. The titles published under the Humanity Books imprint will be distributed by the academic and professional division of R&L. The latter are titles that Prometheus acquired from Humanities Press International.
“Jon Kurtz and his team built Prometheus Books into one of the most respected independent publishers in the nation. Its backlist of 1,700 academic and trade titles is a perfect fit for Rowman & Littlefield,” said Jed Lyons, CEO of R&L in a statement. “We are delighted that Jon and Jake will carry on as part of our team.”
R&L sister company National Book Network will assume distribution of Prometheus titles on July 1.
