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Kentucky Writers: Authors of the Bluegrass State

"Authors of the Bluegrass State" is a guide by Kentucky Collects. This guide provides information about authors and writers from Kentucky and their work.

Publishers and Printers in Kentucky

John Bradford, first printer in Kentucky

John Bradford

Photo: University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center

  • Name(s)
    • John Bradford
    • John Bradford, Esq.
  • Date of Birth
    • June 6, 1749
    • near Warrenton, Virginia
  • Date of Death
    • 1830
  • Residence(s)
    • Warrenton, Virginia
    • Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky
    • Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky
  • Education
  • Life Events,
    • Founded the Kentucky Gazette in 1787, the first newspaper in Kentucky
    • Founding member of Transylvania University
    • Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Transylvania University, 1793-1830
    • Influential in founding the Lexington library
    • Served as Fayette County Representative in the Kentucky House of Representatives
    • Served as high sheriff of Fayette County
    • Married Eliza James, 1771
  • Employment
    • Deputy surveyor under Colonel Thomas Marshall, Fayette County, Kentucky, 1782
    • Deputy surveyor under George May, Kentucky, 1780
  • Occupation(s) / Field(s) of Activity
    • Printer
    • Historian
    • Surveyor

Reference Tools

The University Press of Kentucky

The University Press of Kentucky has a dual mission—the publication of books of high scholarly merit in a variety of fields for a largely academic audience and the publication of books about the history and culture of Kentucky, the Ohio Valley region, the Upper South, and Appalachia. The Press is the statewide mandated nonprofit scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, operated as an agency of the University of Kentucky and serving all state institutions of higher learning, plus five private colleges and Kentucky's two major historical societies.

University Press of Kentucky

The American Printing House for the Blind

"Since 1858, The American Printing House for the Blind has operated in Louisville, Kentucky as the World's largest nonprofit organization creating accessible learning experiences through educational, workplace, and independent living products and services for people who are blind and visually impaired." --The American Printing House: About

Jesse Stuart Foundation

Jesse Stuart Foundation

"The Jesse Stuart Foundation (JSF), a nonprofit organization established by Jesse Stuart and his wife Naomi Deane Stuart in 1979, is a regional publisher and bookseller that controls the rights to Stuart's works and republishes his out-of-print works along with books by other Kentucky and Appalachian authors." --Jesse Stuart Foundation: About

Sarabande Books

"Sarabande Books is a nonprofit literary press founded in Louisville, Kentucky. Established in 1994 to champion poetry, fiction, and essay, we are committed to creating lasting editions that honor exceptional writing... Through our internship program, Sarabande Writing Labs Program, and Flo Gault Student Poetry Prize, we are proud to invest in emerging writers and serve as an educational resource locally and nationally. Sarabande publishes ten to twelve books a year, including selections for the Mary McCarthy prize in fiction, the Kathryn A. Morton prize in poetry, and the Linda Bruckheimer Series in Kentucky Literature." -- Sarabande Books: Mission

Broadstone Media, LLC

Broadstone Media LLC

"Broadstone Media is a cultural promotion company based in Frankfort, Kentucky, engaged in book publishing and gallery management, operated by partners Larry W. Moore and Stephanie Potter. Founded in 2003 by Larry and long-time friend Stephen Taylor, the name "Broadstone" is an amalgam of Broadway and Limestone, for the streets in Lexington, Kentucky where they attended college... The company first became active in publishing in 2003 under the imprint Broadstone Books." --Broadstonebooks.com

Resources

Bulter Books

Butler Books

"Butler Books is a Louisville, Kentucky-based full service publisher of trade nonfiction, fiction, and illustrated books. Since 1989, the company has published hundreds of titles spanning a wide variety of subject, including History, Photography, Nature, Biography, Sports, Travel, Architecture, Arts & Crafts, Health and Fitness, Children's, Medicine, Cooking, Parenting, Women's Issues, Religion and much more." -- About Butler Books

Steel Toe Books

Steel Toe Books

"Founded in 2003, Steel Toe Books has published 24 books and is excited to add prose (fiction and nonfiction) books to our diverse catalog of upcoming titles." -- About Steel Toe Books. Located in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Martin Sisters Publishing

Martin Sisters Publishing

"Martin Sisters Publishing is an independent publisher dedicated to delivering a quality reading experience to book lovers. Martin Sisters Publishing chooses its authors and its books with care to ensure their readers know they are the primary focus of MSP." -- Martin Sisters Publishing. Located in Barbourville, Kentucky.

Apex Book Company

Apex Book Company

"What started as a single quarterly print magazine of dark SF short stories (the well-regarded Apex Science Fiction & Horror Digest) has turned into a busy small press with over 40 titles in print and the monthly ezine Apex Magazine.... Our books and magazine have been the recipient of some of the top awards in science fiction, fantasy, and horror: the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, the Stoker Award, the World Fantasy Award, among others." -- About Apex Book Company. Located in Lexington, Kentucky.

Fons Vitae Publishing

Fons Vitae Publishing

"Fons Vitae, a non-profit, academic press, publishes interfaith scholarly works focused primarily on world spirituality. A peer-reviewed publishing house, Fons Vitae is distinguished for its significant English translations of key Arabic and Persian works, especially in the field of Sufism. Its award-winning books and DVDs are used throughout the world in university classrooms and by the general public, including in its prison outreach. Fons Vitae seeks to broaden understanding and admiration of all the world's sacred traditions by sponsoring lecture series and educational program, as well as by participating in interfaith congresses worldwide." -- About Fons Vitae. Located in Louisville, Kentucky.

Broadway Press

Broadway Press

Located in Louisville, Kentucky, Broadway Press publishes books for theater designers and technicians.