The Anthoensen Press
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 1875 |
| Founder | Francis B. Southworth |
| Defunct | 1987 |
| Headquarters | Portland, Maine , United States |
| Products | Books, scholarly periodicals |
The Anthoensen Press was a publishing firm located in Portland, Maine, active from 1875 until 1987. Taking its name from its second proprietor, the Danish-born Frederick Anthoensen, the press earned national acclaim for producing books of exceptional quality.[1] Its publications served academic institutions like Bowdoin College and Colby College, as well as cultural entities such as the Peabody Essex Museum, the Boston Athenaeum, the Massachusetts Historical Society, and the Limited Editions Club.[1] Originally situated at 105 Middle Street, the company later moved to 37 Exchange Street, eventually expanding to 45 Exchange Street; this location is presently occupied by The Thirsty Pig as of 2023.[1]
The press was also responsible for issuing scholarly periodicals including The New England Quarterly, The American Neptune, The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, and The American Oxonian.[1]
A significant work published in 1937, William Hutchinson Rowe’s Ancient North Yarmouth and Yarmouth, Maine 1636–1936: A History, continued to be available well into the early 2000s.[2]Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
History
Established in 1875 under the name Southworth Press by Reverend Francis B. Southworth (1824–1912), the company initially focused on producing religious texts intended for sailors.[1] Southworth served as pastor at Portland’s Seamen's Bethel Church.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name The press employed linotype machines for typesetting, although certain titles, such as A. S. W. Rosenbach's Early American Children's Books (1933), were composed using hand-setting techniques.[1]Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Following Anthoensen’s passing in 1969, ownership transferred sequentially to Warren F. Skillings,Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name then Harry Milliken, and eventually Henry C. Thomas in 1982.[1] Under Thomas’s leadership, the company upgraded its production in 1983 by integrating computerized typesetting alongside traditional linotype and letterpress technologies. Despite these modernization efforts, it struggled against larger competitors and ultimately closed in 1987 after more than a century of operation.[1] In 1985, Thomas released The New Anthoensen: In Memory of Fred Anthoensen, 1882–1969, honoring the press’s enduring heritage.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name