I've been quite fortunate over the past few years to have become involved with Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., a mid-sized specialty publisher based in Chester County, PA on the Schiffer Book Farm. In 2008, Schiffer published two of my books, "Spooky York, Pennsylvania" (which I co-authored with former York resident and Schiffer employee Dinah Roseberry) and "York: America's Historic Crossroads." The year of 2009 will see two more titles featuring my writing and photography: "Delaware Reflections" and "Gettysburg Perspectives."
While many people are familiar with Schiffer's line of antique or military history books, most of my work with them has been in the lifestyle category. They excel at publishing high-quality, photo-intensive books. "York: America's Historic Crossroads" is a special achievement for me - a hard-cover, full-color book featuring over 300 color photos on a heavy, glossy paper stock. It was also a risky proposition for Schiffer - York is not a large market for a book like this - either in population or number of annual visitors. But Schiffer Publishing believes in the market and the product.
The steady hand at the helm of Schiffer Publishing has been Peter B. Schiffer, the publisher and founder of the company. A heart attack cut short his life less than a week before Christmas. He was only 60.
If you've ever held a Schiffer book in your hands, you've probably been struck by the quality - early on in my relationship with Schiffer I made a comment to an employee about cutting printing costs. I was told that Peter Schiffer's vision has always been to only accept the highest quality printing available. No exceptions.
I have no doubt that his company will continue to grow and prosper - both his wife, Nancy, and son, Pete, are intimately involved with the business, and a top-notch staff is in place. And while York didn't know Peter Schiffer, his influence is felt here - he believed in York so much that his company published two books about the area. His legacy will continue to live - on many of our bookshelves.
For information about Schiffer Publishing, visit their Web site at www.schifferbooks.com.
