Thornwillow Press
| Company type | Independent publishing house |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder | Luke Ives Pontifell |
| Headquarters | Newburgh , United States |
| Products | Limited edition books, letterpress printed and hand-bound editions |
Thornwillow Press is an independent American publishing house established in 1985 by Luke Ives Pontifell. It has produced original works from distinguished authors such as John Updike, Arthur Schlesinger, JP Donleavy, Edmund Morris, Warren Berger, Louis Auchincloss, James Merrill, Hugh Sidey, David Mamet, and Walter Cronkite. The press is renowned for its limited edition books, which are letterpress printed and hand-bound, and these editions are part of esteemed collections including The White House, The Morgan Library, Yale’s Beinecke Rare Book Library, and Harvard’s Houghton Library. Editions from Thornwillow have been given as official state gifts by Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
Background
At the age of sixteen, Luke Pontifell founded Thornwillow Press in a rented workspace located in New York City. The press’s inaugural publication was Hello Sun, a children’s tale authored by Barbara England. After sending a copy to historian William Shirer, Pontifell received an unpublished manuscript in return, which became Thornwillow’s second release titled An August to Remember. This title was offered in both cloth and leather bindings with print runs of 300 copies. Typically, Thornwillow provides several binding options for its books, catering to different price levels.
Pontifell reached out to respected writers to contribute manuscripts, successfully obtaining works from Walter Cronkite (Remembering the Moon), Arthur Schlesinger (JFK Remembered), and Helmut Kohl (Partnership in Liberty).
Current
Currently headquartered in Newburgh, New York, Thornwillow Press maintains its focus on producing limited editions centered on presidential histories with authors including Edmund Morris, Harold Holzer, William vanden Heuvel, Wendell Garrett, and W. W. Abbot. The press also republishes classic literature in special limited editions. In 2017, Thornwillow issued William Shakespeare’s The Sonnets, featuring an introduction by Harvard President Neil Rudenstine, alongside the Sherlock Holmes Hexalogy, both projects funded through Kickstarter campaigns that raised $53,384 and $92,322 respectively. In 2020, it published Edgar Allan Poe: Tales, Mysteries, and Contrivances, illustrated by John Reardon with an introduction by Jill Lepore, securing $150,915 via Kickstarter support.