News Release

 

For Additional Information Contact:

Ann Prescott

Marketing Manager

(952) 469-6699

craftbooks@finneyco.com

 

For immediate release                                                                           December 17, 2007

Lakeville, MN – Finney Company is pleased to announce the acquisition of Astragal Press, a company that publishes affordable books for those interested in antique tools and early trades and technologies. Astragal Press has been relocated from Mendham, New Jersey, to Lakeville, Minnesota.

Astragal Press was founded by Martyl and Emil Pollak in 1983. Since then, Astragal Press' book list has grown to over 90 titles.  The types of books published are new works as well as reprints and previously out-of-print classics. Astragal Press is one of the principal resources for those interested in antique tool collecting, metalworking, carriage building, early science and early trades. Popular titles include Five Hundred and Seven Mechanical Movements, Horse Drawn Sleighs and Restoring Antique Tools. This newest Finney imprint has an additional international appeal, joining titles like A Blacksmithing Primer, Horsemanship Handbook, and other Finney Company publications that are currently distributed worldwide.

“After nearly 25 years as publisher and owner of Astragal Press, I have sold my business and feel Finney Company is a perfect fit for our authors, customers and vendors; I have great confidence that they will continue to provide the same level of service to our clients,” said Martyl Pollak, ex-president and founder of Astragal Press.

Finney Company and Astragal Press had a working relationship prior to the acquisition. “With common customers, including members of The Artist Blacksmith Association of North America [ABANA], we are excited to combine our publishing and marketing efforts,” stated Alan E. Krysan, president of Finney Company.  “The synergy between our two organizations makes this an ideal merger of resources. Both customers and suppliers will benefit from adding Astragal Press as an imprint of Finney Company.”

These and all books published by Finney Company are available at local bookstores, specialty retailers, catalog companies, online booksellers, as well as Finney Company by calling (866) 543-3045 or visiting www.astragalpress.com or www.finneyco.com.

“This is our largest imprint acquisition based on the shear number of titles in print and actively marketed,” explains Ann Prescott, Marketing Manager of Finney Company. Since the acquisition, Finney Company now has a proprietary book list of over 300 titles and also distributes over 6,000 titles.

Finney Company, established in 1947, is a growing independent publisher and distributor of educational materials and trade books. In the last six years, it has acquired eleven companies, expanding both the proprietary titles and titles distributed for other publishers. Astragal Press has been added to this list of highly regarded companies for a combined total of more than 200 years of providing quality materials to schools, libraries and individuals worldwide.

###