Tuttle Publishing, originally the Charles E. Tuttle Company, is a

book A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physi ...

publishing company that includes Tuttle, Periplus Editions, and Journey Editions.Tutttle Publishing: About us
Retrieved on April 17, 2010.Grant, T. (1997): ''International directory of company histories'' (Vol. 86, 2nd ed., pp. 404–405). Chicago, IL: Saint James Press. () A company profile describes it as an "International publisher of innovative books on design, cooking, martial arts, language, travel and spirituality with a focus on China, Japan and Southeast Asia."The London Book Fair: Tuttle Publishing
(2010). Retrieved on April 20, 2010. Many of its books on

Asian martial arts There are many distinct styles and schools of martial arts. Sometimes, schools or styles are introduced by individual teachers or masters, or as a brand name by a specific gym. Martial arts can be grouped by type or focus, or alternatively by r ...

, particularly those on Japanese martial arts, were the first widely read publications on these subjects in the English language.

History

Publisher and book dealer Charles E. Tuttle (1915–1993) founded the company in 1948 in Tokyo, Japan, with the aim of publishing "books to span the East and West."Ingleton, N. (July 7, 1993)
Obituary: Charles E. Tuttle
''The Independent''. Retrieved on April 17, 2010.Saxon, W. (1993)

''The New York Times'' (June 11, 1993). Retrieved on April 18, 2010. It was the 31st corporation approved by the occupying Allied administration. In its first year of operation, the company imported and distributed U.S. paperback publications to the occupying forces, and the next year, it released its first publication. From 1951, it published many books on the

Japanese language is spoken natively by about 128 million people, primarily by Japanese people and primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language. Japanese belongs to the Japonic or Japanese- Ryukyuan language family. There have been ...

, arts, and culture, as well as translations of Japanese works into the English language. In 1953, part of the company was separated to form a new, partially owned company, Yohan, which took on responsibility for distributing U.S. paperback books and magazines. The Charles E. Tuttle Company retained responsibility for distributing UK publications. In 1991, under chief executive Peter Ackroyd, a planned acquisition of the Atlantic Monthly Press failed to eventuate.Cohen, R. (1991)
Small House to buy Atlantic Monthly Press
''The New York Times'' (June 24, 1991). Retrieved on April 20, 2010.Cohen, R. (1991)

''The New York Times'' (August 30, 1991). Retrieved on April 20, 2010. According to executives, "Tuttle, which specializes in Japanese and other Asian books, came to feel that it was putting its existing business at risk by acquiring Atlantic." In 1996, the company changed its name to Tuttle Publishing.Tuttle Publishing, 2019 Since its founding, Tuttle has published more than 6,000 books and today maintains an active backlist of around 2,000 titles. The company now produces 150 new titles each year, most of which still focus on the areas of Asian interest that Tuttle has long been known for—everything from Asian literature and language learning to cooking, art, crafts, and design.Tuttle Publishing (2008): ''General trade catalog''. Some of the company’s books state that it was founded in 1832 in Rutland, Vermont. George Albert Tuttle (1816-1885), a direct ancestor of Charles E. Tuttle, founded Tuttle Co. in 1832 in Rutland as a printing company that printed newspapers, later including the '' Rutland Herald''. The multigenerational family printing business did not have a particular focus on Asian material. It thus remains open to debate whether 1832 represents the original founding of Tuttle Publishing, or whether the enterprise is, in the words of one author, the business of Charles E. Tuttle, "whose family had been in the book trade since 1832."

Founder

The company's founder, Charles Egbert Tuttle, Jr., was a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy and

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

. He enlisted in the U.S. military and was stationed in Japan immediately after World War II, working on General Douglas MacArthur’s staff. His job, among other things, was to help revive the Japanese publishing industry after the war. After his military service was completed, he decided to stay on in Japan and set up his own business importing English-language books and magazines and exporting rare Japanese antiquarian books to U.S. libraries. Tuttle came from a distinguished New England publishing family.Edwards, B. (2006)
Used book shop closes its doors
''Rutland Herald'' (July 20, 2006). Retrieved on April 18, 2010. His father, Charles E. Tuttle Sr., ran Tuttle Antiquarian Books—one of several Tuttle companies in Rutland, Vermont, that had been involved with printing and publishing since the 1830s.Charles E. Tuttle Co. - Card File, 1940-1960s
vermonthistory.org. Retrieved 27 May 2021. At university, he studied American history and literature. After graduating in 1937, he worked in the library of

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

for a year, then joined the family business. His interest in publishing 'quality' books about Japan and Asia, and his keen eye for design and editorial matters as a publisher, grew out of an appreciation for the valuable antiquarian books that he dealt with as a youth.

Current status

Tuttle publishes between 150-175 new books each year, including cooking, craft, history, art, architecture, current affairs, travel, origami, gardening and children's titles. Many early Tuttle books remain in print today, such as ''Japanese Children's Favorite Stories'' (1954), ''The Book of Tea'' (1956) and ''Rashomon and Other Stories'' (1952). Tuttle is also the official publisher of the Bruce Lee Library, with permission from his estate. The company's bestselling books include ''Japanese Knitting Stitch Bible'' by Hitomi Shida, which has sold more than 60,000 copies since its release in 2017 and was in its fifth printing in 2018, Others include ''Cool Japan Guide'' by

Abby Denson Abby Denson is an American cartoonist, writer, and musician, known for her gay young-adult comics series ''Tough Love'' and her comics travel guides to Tokyo and Japan. Personal life Abby Denson was born in Illinois, but grew up in West Hartfo ...

, ''North Korea Confidential'' by Daniel Tudor and James Pearson, and ''Geek in Japan'' by Hector Garcia. Tuttle Publishing is a part of Periplus Publishing Group and has a staff of around 60 people split between its offices in North Clarendon (in

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

, USA),

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

and

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

. Tuttle is one of few American publishers with offices in Asia. According to

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

(2002, 2007), Tuttle Publishing is the most active publisher of books teaching Japanese to the English-speaking world, and English to the Japanese-speaking world.United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization: Literature & translation – Charles E. Tuttle Publishing (Japan)
(October 9, 2002). Retrieved on April 20, 2010.
(2007). Retrieved on April 20, 2010. The company has also published books on Tagalog,Tuttle Publishing: Unparalleled marketplace for Filipino children’s books & educational Tagalog language materials
''East Villagers'' (February 25, 2010). Retrieved on April 20, 2010. Chinese,

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

, Indonesian, Burmese, Cambodian, Lao, Malay, Thai, and

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

. Tuttle published its first

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

phrasebook in 2004Tuttle Publishing (2004): ''Fall 2004 catalog''. and, in 2009, its first introduction to Modern Standard Hindi.Tuttle Publishing (2010): ''Fall 2010 catalog''. The editors work collaboratively with writers, illustrators, photographers and designers around the world. The company has a strong international network of distributors and booksellers—with Tuttle books distributed not only in North America and Asia, but from Europe to Australia and the Middle East to South Africa. Singapore resident Eric Oey took over the company as publisher and CEO in 1996.Tuttle's tales of tantalizing literary trials and triumphs ''China Daily'' (July 23, 2010)
/ref> Oey is a nephew of Charles E. Tuttle and the founder of Periplus Editions. Leading officers in the U.S. are Michael Sargent (Managing Director), David Loseby (CFO), and Christopher Johns (Sales & Marketing Director).

Explanatory notes

a. This is not the same person as the British author by the same name.

References

External links

Tuttle Publishing

Tuttle Publishing Tokyo

Books by ISBN Tuttle Publishing
��lists books published by the company

��contains a photograph of founder C. E. Tuttle with his wife and nephew (c. 1980) {{Authority control Publishing companies established in 1948 Book publishing companies based in Vermont Book distributors Japanese companies established in 1948 American companies established in 1948