| Parent company | Carus Publishing Company |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1887 |
| Founder | Edward Hegeler |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Headquarters location | Chicago |
| Distribution | Publishers Group West |
| Publication types | Books |
| Nonfiction topics | Philosophy |
| Official website | www |
TheOpen Court Publishing Company is apublisher with offices inChicago andLaSalle, Illinois. It is part of theCarus Publishing Company ofPeru, Illinois.
Open Court was founded in 1887 byEdward C. Hegeler of the Matthiessen-Hegeler Zinc Company, at one time the largest producer ofzinc in theUnited States. Hegeler intended for the firm to serve the purpose of discussing religious and psychological problems on the principle that the scientific world-conception should be applied to religion.[1] Its first managing editor wasPaul Carus, Hegeler's son-in-law through his marriage to engineerMary Hegeler Carus.[2] For the first 80 years of its existence, the company had its offices in theHegeler Carus Mansion.[3]
Open Court specializes inphilosophy,science, andreligion. It was one of the firstacademic presses in the country, as well as one of the first publishers of inexpensive editions of the classics.[2] It also published the journalsOpen Court andThe Monist— the latter is still being published. The Open Court Monthly Magazine's motto was "Devoted to the Science of Religion, the Religion of Science, and the Extension of the Religious Parliament Idea."[4]
TheOpen Court journal was founded in February 1887 as the official publication of theFree Religious Association.[5] By the end of 1887, its editor Benjamin F. Underwood resigned and Paul Carus became editor. The Open Court Publishing Company publishedThe Open Court journal until 1936.[5][6] Carus edited the journal for 32 years, until his death.[7][8]
One of Open Court Publishing's best-selling series is its semi-annualPopular Culture & Philosophy series, under the editorship of George Reisch. Volumes on the philosophy underpinning such television shows asStar Trek,Seinfeld,The Simpsons, andBuffy the Vampire Slayer propelled the series into the limelight.
Homans, James E., ed. (1918)."Hegeler, Edward C." .The Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: The Press Association Compilers, Inc.| International | |
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