Arcadia Publishing, which publishes some 500 books per year about local histories of places around the United States, has acquired Wildsam, publisher of the Wildsam Field Guides. Following the transaction, Wildsam founder and editor in chief Taylor Bruce will continue to lead the company.
Arcadia is perhaps best known for its Images of America series, as well as the food series American Palate and supernatural-themed series Haunted America. Wildsam, meanwhile, has a catalogue of 14 field guides covering places like Austin, Tex., Nashville, Tenn., and Detroit, Mich., with more field guides scheduled to be published this fall.
"The moment we picked up our first Wildsam Field Guide, we were sold," said David Steinberger, president and CEO of Arcadia. "This is a product that is fundamentally authentic--it is exactly what today's travelers and readers are looking for."
"Arcadia's hyper-local distribution power and deep connection to American stories are unrivaled," said Bruce. "Arcadia is absolutely the ideal partner to take Wildsam to the next level as the elite travel publisher in America."
In May 2018, Steinberger, along with Snap Inc. chairman Michael Lynton and business executive Lili Lynton, purchased Arcadia. Since then, Arcadia has also acquired Pelican Press, started an Arcadia Children's Books division and brought in Walter Isaacson as a senior advisor and editor-at-large. Following the acquisition, Wildsam will begin building up its editorial team and increasing the number of titles that it publishes.