About Blackbirch

Blackbirch Press publishes educational, nonfiction books for elementary and middle school students. Launched as an independent imprint in 1992, Blackbirch grew out of Blackbirch Graphics, the highly successful company that had been creating and developing books for major publishers in the school-library market since 1979.

The founders of Blackbirch Press combined strong backgrounds in book design and production with a well-seasoned editorial perspective. From the beginning, they strived to bring a highly "visual" look to all Blackbirch books--one that coupled a pleasing design esthetic with a unique and refreshing editorial slant on curriculum-based subjects. The press has been recognized many times for its ability to cover American history, natural science, biography, and social studies in fresh and exciting ways. Today, as Blackbirch continues to expand its focus, single-volume- and set-reference is becoming another major focus. Award-winning titles that anticipated--and provided for--the growing demand in "visual literacy" have led the way. Books, such as KidBits, the New View Almanac and The Kid's Almanac of Geography are just a few of the successful titles in this arena.

In July 2001, Blackbirch Press was purchased by Gale, a leading publisher of library reference products. As an imprint of Gale, Blackbirch will be able to accelerate its expansion and will be able to offer more titles on a greater variety of subjects. As it grows, Blackbirch will focus on the innovation, creativity, and high editorial and production standards that are so much a part of the company's continued success.