AdventureKEEN announced on Thursday that the company has acquired Shelter Publications, as of New Year’s Day, and that the 50-year-old publisher of books about DIY homebuilding and personal fitness has become AdventureKEEN’s seventh imprint. Shelter’s administrative operations, based in Bolinas, Calif., will be transferred to AdventureKEEN’s Birmingham, Ala., headquarters, but editorial operations will remain in the seaside town on California's coast.
No layoffs were made as a result of the acquisition. Shelter publisher Lloyd Kahn, the former editor at the Whole Earth Catalog who founded the press in 1973, will continue to write books on homebuilding while overseeing the list. He will report to AdventureKEEN president Richard Hunt and publisher Molly Merkle.
“We are honored and appreciative to be able to shepherd the Shelter list going forward,” Hunt, who is based in Cincinnati, Ohio, said in a statement. “Lloyd’s books have always been distinctive and smart.” In an email to PW, Hunt added that “working with Lloyd and the Shelter Publications crew/list will be a delight. Between this and Winter Institute, 2024 is starting fast out of the gate.”
Merkle, who is based in Birmingham, added: “Lloyd (aka ‘The King of DIY Dwellings’) has a voice and perspective that continues to resonate with readers. We are thrilled to carry forward his work and influence for future generations.” Kahn said that AdentureKEEN and Shelter’s “goals and aspirations are in sync,” and that he appreciates having AdventureKEEN’s “expertise and skills in marketing our Shelter Library of Building Books.” He also looks forward to doing more to communicate with Shelter's audience via Instagram, Substack, and YouTube.
AdventureKEEN specializes in books of regional interest and books about travel and nature and the outdoors. Its imprints include Adventure Publications, Clerisy Press, Menasha Ridge Press, Nature Study Guides, Unofficial Guides, and Wilderness Press.
