Schiffer Publishing Ltd. (also known for its imprints Schiffer, Schiffer Craft, Schiffer Military History, Schiffer Kids, REDFeather MBS, Cornell Maritime Press, Tidewater Publishers, Thrums Books, and Geared Up Publications) is a family-owned

publisher Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...

of nonfiction books. Founded in 1974 and based in

Atglen, Pennsylvania Atglen is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population is 1,311. History Present-day Atglen was originally a wilderness where Native Americans made paths that cut across this area whe ...

, its coverage includes antiques, architecture and design, arts and crafts, collectibles, lifestyle, children's books, regional,

military history Military history is the study of War, armed conflict in the Human history, history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, cultures and economies thereof, as well as the resulting changes to Politics, local and international relationship ...

militaria Militaria, also known as military memorabilia, are military equipment which are collected for their historical significance. Such items include firearms, swords, sabres, knives, bayonets, helmets and other equipment such as uniforms, military ...

, tarot and oracle, and mind, body, and spirit. In 2009, Schiffer Publishing acquired Cornell Maritime Press/Tidewater Publishers. In October 2020 Schiffer Publishing announced their purchase of Thrums Books which specializes in telling the stories of indigenous craft traditions from around the world. Its illustrated titles have featured artisans in Peru, Guatemala, Mexico, Morocco, Afghanistan, China and more.

Reception of war literature

Schiffer Publishing has been described by American historians

Ronald Smelser Ronald Smelser (born 1942) is an American historian, author, and former professor of history at the University of Utah. He specializes in modern European history, including the history of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, and has written several ...

and

Edward J. Davies Edward J. Davies (born 1947) is an American historian, author, and professor of history at the University of Utah. He specialises in modern American history and has written several books on the subject. Davies is the author, together with fellow ...

in their 2006 work ''

The Myth of the Eastern Front ''The Myth of the Eastern Front: The Nazi–Soviet War in American Popular Culture'' (2008) by Ronald Smelser and Edward J. Davies, is a historical analysis of the post-war myth of the " Clean Wehrmacht", the negative impact of the ''Wehrmach ...

'' as one of the leading publishers of war romancing literature, second in North America only to the Canadian publisher J.J. Fedorowicz. According to Smelser and Davies, Schiffer provides a platform for authors who present an uncritical and a historical portrayal of the German war effort during the

Soviet-German war The Eastern Front, also known as the Great Patriotic War (term), Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union and its successor states, and the German–Soviet War in modern Germany and Ukraine, was a Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II ...

of 1941–1945. Schiffer has a strong focus on the German side of the conflict, with 204 titles in its 1996 military history catalogue being dedicated to the German war effort, out of a total of 234 titles. The catalogue described one of Schiffer's titles as the story of "the great aces" who "could not win, yet they fought to the final hour in an unforgettable combat saga".

References

General references

Inline citations

{{Reflist Publishing companies of the United States Book publishing companies based in Pennsylvania