A. C. McClurg

A. C. McClurg

Company type	Private
Industry	Publishing, Book wholesaling, Stationery, Bookselling
Founded	1844
Founder	Unknown (originally W. W. Barlow & Co.)
Fate	Ceased operations as publisher and wholesaler in 1962
Headquarters	Chicago , United States
Products	Books, Stationery
Number of employees	Unknown

A. C. McClurg operated as a stationer, publisher, and book wholesaler in Chicago, Illinois for more than 120 years. Established in 1844 as the city’s inaugural stationery and retail bookstore, the enterprise experienced several ownership changes, frequently triggered by fires. Around the time of the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, Alexander McClurg assumed control and guided the company toward specializing in distinguished literature, a direction it maintained into the early 1900s. One of its significant publications was W. E. B. Du Bois' The Souls of Black Folk (1903), released under McClurg’s "Rare Books" imprint.

Following McClurg’s passing, roughly ten years later, the firm discontinued its Rare Books division and transitioned to popular adventure fiction. This included publishing the original Tarzan of the Apes series and other works by Chicago author Edgar Rice Burroughs, alongside stories featuring Tom Mix. Although this genre proved successful, the company’s focus shifted once more; from 1922 until 1962, A.C. McClurg primarily functioned as a book wholesaler.

History

The business began in Chicago in 1844 under the name W. W. Barlow & Co., soon changing to S. C. Griggs & Co.. When William Bross joined in 1848, it briefly operated as Griggs, Bross & Co., but this partnership ended after eighteen months. Alexander C. McClurg—formerly a law student, then a mercantile trader and Civil War general—became a junior partner in 1859. After the Great Chicago Fire destroyed their building in 1871, Griggs sold his interest, leading to the formation of Jansen, McClurg & Co.. In 1887, McClurg took over as senior partner and renamed the firm A. C. McClurg & Co.. Another fire in 1899 razed their premises, but McClurg financed reconstruction efforts. He passed away in 1901; however, the company continued to operate under his name.

In 1880, McClurg revived The Dial magazine as a platform for political and literary discourse; under Francis Fisher Browne's editorship it achieved national recognition but was sold shortly after Browne died in 1913. That same year marked A.C. McClurg’s publication of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ first Tarzan of the Apes novel. The firm published ten Tarzan novels before concentrating solely on wholesale operations by 1923. The company remained active until 1967.

External links

• Records of the A.C. McClurg Co. at The Newberry Library