Editing Open Court Publishing Company

{{Short description|Publisher based in Chicago, Illinois}}
{{about|the publishing company|the legal term|in open court}}
{{Infobox publisher
| image        = 
| parent       = [[Carus Publishing Company]]
| status       = 
| founded      = 1887
| founder      = Edward Hegeler
| successor    = 
| country      = [[United States]]
| headquarters = [[Chicago]]
| distribution = [[Publishers Group West]]
| keypeople    = 
| publications = [[Book]]s
| topics       = Philosophy
| genre        = 
| imprints     = 
| revenue      = 
| numemployees = 
| nasdaq       = 
| url          = {{URL|http://www.opencourtbooks.com}}
}}

The '''Open Court Publishing Company''' is a [[publisher]] with offices in [[Chicago]] and [[LaSalle, Illinois]]. It is part of the [[Carus Publishing Company]] of [[Peru, Illinois]].

==History==
Open Court was founded in 1887 by [[Edward C. Hegeler]] of the Matthiessen-Hegeler Zinc Company, at one time the largest producer of [[zinc]] in the [[United States]]. Hegeler intended for the firm to serve the purpose of discussing religious and psychological problems on the principle that the scientific world-conception should be applied to religion.<ref>{{Cite CAB|wstitle=Hegeler, Edward C.}}</ref> Its first managing editor was [[Paul Carus]], Hegeler's son-in-law through his marriage to engineer [[Mary Hegeler Carus]].<ref name="Fields138">Fields 1992, pg. 138</ref> For the first 80 years of its existence, the company had its offices in the [[Hegeler Carus Mansion]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/power-house/Content?oid=905535 |work=Chicago Reader |author=Jeffrey Felshman |title=Power House |date=May 31, 2001}}</ref>

Open Court specializes in [[philosophy]], [[science]], and [[religion]]. It was one of the first [[university press|academic presses]] in the country, as well as one of the first publishers of inexpensive editions of the classics.<ref name="Fields138" /> It also published the journals ''Open Court'' and ''[[The Monist]]''— the latter is still being published. The Open Court Monthly Magazine's motto was "Devoted to the Science of Religion, the Religion of Science, and the Extension of the Religious Parliament Idea."<ref>The Open Court Magazine September, 1915 front cover motto. https://archive.org/stream/opencourt_sept1915caru/opencourt_sept1915caru_djvu.txt</ref>

==''The Open Court''==
The ''Open Court'' journal was founded in February 1887 as the official publication of the [[Free Religious Association]].<ref name="Pierce 2009">''Writings of Charles S. Peirce: A Chronological Edition, Volume 8: 1890–1892''. Indiana University Press, 2009. pp. xxiii-xxxiv. {{ISBN|978-0253004215}}</ref> By the end of 1887, its editor Benjamin F. Underwood resigned and Paul Carus became editor. The Open Court Publishing Company published ''The Open Court'' journal until 1936.<ref name="Pierce 2009"/><ref>Mott, Frank Luther. (1938). ''A History of American Magazines, Volume 4''. Harvard University Press. p. 302. {{ISBN|978-0196264318}}</ref> Carus edited the journal for 32 years, until his death.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Myers, Constance|year=1964|title=Paul Carus and The Open Court: The History of a Journal|journal=Midcontinent American Studies Journal|url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/235882003.pdf|volume=5|issue=2|pages=57–68}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/ocj/ |url-access= |title=The Open Court |language=English |access-date=11 August 2024 }}</ref>

==''Popular Culture & Philosophy'' series==

One of Open Court Publishing's best-selling series is its semi-annual ''Popular Culture & Philosophy'' series, under the editorship of George Reisch. Volumes on the philosophy underpinning such television shows as ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]'', ''[[Seinfeld]]'', ''[[The Simpsons]],'' and ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' propelled the series into the limelight.

==See also==
* [[Open Court Reading]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*Fields, Rick. ''How the Swans Came to the Lake: A Narrative History of Buddhism in America'' (1992) Shambhala Publications. {{ISBN|0-87773-631-6}}

==External links==
*[https://cricketmedia.com/open-court-publishing/ Cricket Media's Open Court portal]
*[https://archives.lib.siu.edu/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=2365 Open Court Publishing Company Records, 1886-1953] at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Special Collections Research Center

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[[Category:Academic publishing companies]]
[[Category:Book publishing companies based in Illinois]]
[[Category:Companies based in Chicago]]
[[Category:Publishing companies established in 1887]]
[[Category:Publishing companies of the United States]]