Old Earth Books is a specialty publisher which specializes in out-of-print and niche books, primarily in the science fiction

Science fiction

Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...

 genre. The name comes from the Cordwainer Smith

Cordwainer Smith

Cordwainer Smith – pronounced CORDwainer – was the pseudonym used by American author Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger for his science fiction works. Linebarger was a noted East Asia scholar and expert in psychological warfare...

 Lords of the Instrumentality series. It is located in Baltimore

Baltimore

Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...

, MD. It was founded and is operated by Michael Walsh

Michael Walsh (publisher)

Michael Jarrett Walsh owns and operates Old Earth Books, a small press science fiction publisher. He primarily publishes re-prints, though occasionally he issues original books from established authors. His first publication was a short story collection Rude Astronauts, by Allen Steele, published...

.

History

Old Earth was founded in 1993, with the publication of a short story collection, Rude Astronauts, by Allen Steele

Allen Steele

Allen Mulherin Steele, Jr. is an American science fiction author.Steele began publishing short stories in 1988. His early novels formed a future history beginning with Orbital Decay and continuing through Labyrinth of Night...

. Its greatest commercial success came with the re-printing of the Lensman

Lensman

The Lensman series is a serial science fiction space opera by Edward Elmer "Doc" Smith. It was a runner-up for the Hugo award for best All-Time Series ....

 series, by E. E. Smith

E. E. Smith

Edward Elmer Smith, Ph.D., also, E. E. Smith, E. E. "Doc" Smith, Doc Smith, "Skylark" Smith, and Ted was a food engineer and early science fiction author who wrote the Lensman series and the Skylark series, among others...

, starting in 1997.

Authors

Old Earth concentrates on re-prints and original work from established writers. Authors published include:Edward Whittemore

Edward Whittemore

Edward Whittemore was an American novelist, the author of five novels written between 1974 and 1987 and a case officer in the Central Intelligence Agency's Directorate of Operations between 1958 and 1967.-Biography and writing career:The youngest of five children, Whittemore was born on May 26,...

, Avram Davidson

Avram Davidson

Avram Davidson was an American writer of fantasy fiction, science fiction, and crime fiction, as well as the author of many stories that do not fit into a genre niche...

, Christopher Priest, Clifford Simak, Edgar Pangborn

Edgar Pangborn

Edgar Pangborn was an American mystery, historical, and science fiction author.-Life:Edgar Pangborn was born in New York City on February 25, 1909, to Harry Levi Pangborn, an attorney and dictionary editor, and Georgia Wood Pangborn, a noted writer of supernatural fiction...

, Michael Swanwick

Michael Swanwick

Michael Swanwick is an American science fiction author. Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he began publishing in the early 1980s.-Biography:...

, and Howard Waldrop

Howard Waldrop

Howard Waldrop is a science fiction author who works primarily in short fiction.Waldrop's stories combine elements such as alternate history, American popular culture, the American South, old movies , classical mythology, and rock 'n' roll music. His style is sometimes obscure or elliptical...

. Swanwick's book was nominated for a Hugo Award

Hugo Award

The Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...

 and won the Locus Award

Locus Award

The Locus Award is a literary award established in 1971 and presented to winners of Locus magazine's annual readers' poll. Currently, the Locus Awards are presented at an annual banquet...

 in 2002 for Best Non-Fiction book..

Market

Publisher Walsh believes that there have been many changes in trade publishing over the last several decades that allow room for a small imprint such as his to flourish. While print on demand

Print on demand

Print on demand , sometimes called, in error, publish on demand, is a printing technology and business process in which new copies of a book are not printed until an order has been received...

could be used by the traditional publishers, they are not set up for that business model, and thus cede the smaller volume publishing to companies such as Old Earth. Old Earth books are printed using traditional offset methods.

External links

• http://www.oldearthbooks.com/
• http://www.splendidezine.com/departments/bookshelf/bookshelf91905.html