Pelican Publishing Company

Pelican Publishing Company is a book publisher based in Gretna, a suburb of New Orleans. Formed in 1926, Pelican is the largest independent trade book publisher located in the U.S. South. Pelican publishes approximately 60 titles per year and maintains a backlist of over 2500 books. Most of its titles relate to Louisiana and Southern culture, cuisine, art, travel guides, history, children's books, and textbooks.

History
Formed in 1926 by John McClure, Pelican was tied early in its history to William Faulkner and Stuart O. Landry. In 1970, Dr. Milburn E. Calhoun and family acquired Pelican. Calhoun served as company president and publisher prior to his death in 2012. Since his passing, daughter Kathleen Calhoun Nettleton has occupied his place as publisher and president.

In May 2019, the company was officially purchased by Arcadia Publishing.

Significant titles
Pelican Publishing Company has produced many noteworthy titles, including the following:

Arnaud's Restaurant Cookbook: Legendary Creole Cuisine by Kit Wohl.
Blood in West Virginia: Brumfield v. McCoy by Brandon Ray Kirk, which tells the story of the Lincoln County Feud.
The Cajun Night Before Christmas by James Rice: A parody of the popular Night Before Christmas poem in which Santa Claus visits Cajun Louisiana.
The Cavalry Battle that Saved the Union: Custer vs. Stuart at Gettysburg, Paul D. Walker, Pelican Publishing Company, Gretna, LA, 2002
Clovis Crawfish, a children's series by Mary Alice Fontenot
The Commissioner: A True Story of Deceit, Dishonor, and Death, Bill Keith study of the Shreveport public safety commissioner George W. D'Artois
Finn McCool's Football Club by Stephen Rea, released February 2009. Memoir of the author's experiences at an Irish pub in New Orleans and what happened to the patrons before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina.
Louisiana Almanac (series): A resource of statistical data and historical information related to the State of Louisiana.
The Maverick Guide (series): A series of travel guides begun by Robert W. Bone (author).
New Orleans Classic Cookbook Series featuring Desserts, Appetizers, Seafood and Gumbos & Soups, also by Kit Wohl
See You at the Top, the first book by motivational business speaker Zig Ziglar
Sherwood Anderson and Other Famous Creoles by William Faulkner: The first trade publication written by William Faulkner.
The South Was Right! by James Ronald Kennedy and Walter Donald Kennedy: A controversial historical perspective that argues that the Confederacy had the right to secede from the Union.

References

External links

Pelican Publishing Company

Category:Companies based in Louisiana
Category:Book publishing companies of the United States
Category:Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
Category:Political book publishing companies
Category:Companies based in New Orleans
Category:Publishing companies established in 1926