About Timber Press

Timber Press is located in Portland, Oregon. Its offices occupy a converted shipping warehouse built in 1893 in the city's "Old Town" area along the Willamette River. Exposed old-growth Douglas fir beams and brick walls decorate the building. The peak of Mt. Hood is visible in the distance.

The very first book Timber Press published in 1978 is still in print. J. D. Vertrees's Japanese Maples, rejected by a dozen other publishers, was by no means a sure bet at the time. It eventually created its own market by sparking interest in these once esoteric plants. Founder Richard Abel followed this successful lead with a line of quality books for sophisticated gardeners, horticulturists, botanists, naturalists, and landscape professionals.

Today Timber Press has three hundred titles in print and is considered a preeminent publisher of horticulture books. Books on trees, shrubs, perennials, and orchids have long been the mainstay of Timber's list, with forays into classic garden literature, plant exploration, and ethnobotany. As Timber Press continues to grow, it has applied its formula for information-rich books to new subject areas such as field guides, the Pacific Northwest, sustainable living, and the natural sciences. No matter the subject or audience, Timber always seeks out the best qualified experts to write its books.

From its U.K. office, the company also edits books by talented British and European authors. Timber is a truly global publisher, with authors in New Zealand, Israel, Japan, Italy, and Australia, to name a few. Many authors are also plant explorers who travel throughout the world's wild places, and as a result the Timber catalog reflects the planet's rich plant life.

In 2006, Timber was purchased by Workman Publishing, whose various imprints include Artisan, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, and Storey Publishing. Timber continues to maintain its editorial independence in Oregon, but works closely with its colleagues at Storey and Workman to reach the widest possible audience for their complementary gardening lists. Timber's publisher is Neal Maillet, who joined the company as editor in 1993.

To learn more about Timber Press books and authors, we invite you to request a free catalog, or browse a bit deeper into our Web site. Please e-mail us with comments and suggestions. We're always happy to hear from you.