Origins of the The American West Magazine

The handsome copy of The American West that you hold in your hands and the Western History Association, whose official journal it is, are alike the result of the happy inspiration of a little group of western history buffs who early in 1961 fell to discussing the possibility of a meeting with others who shared their interests. Unlike most such inspirations, this produced results; for the enthusiasts responsible—K. Ross Toole, of the Museum of New Mexico, John Porter Bloom and Robert M. Utley, of the National Park Service, John Alexander Carroll, of the University of Arizona, Donald C. Cutter, of the University of Southern California, Walter Rundell, Jr., of Texas Woman's College, and Edgar I. Stewart, of Eastern Washington College—were too energetic to allow their dream to dissipate.

The result was a call to a "Conference on the History of Western America," to meet at Santa Fe, New Mexico, in mid-October, 1961. Preparations went forward apace; a brochure was issued inviting "writers and researchers, publishers and bookmen, librarians and archivists," and all others with a spark of interest in the American West "as a field of research and interpretation" to attend; a program of scholarly and not-so-scholarly papers was arranged; a special exhibit of western art was assembled by the Museum of New Mexico. Hopefully the sponsors awaited the arrival of fifty or sixty persons; instead nearly three hundred assembled to feast their minds on a rich diet of history and ethnohistory, their eyes on the beauties of the autumnal New Mexico countryside where the aspens flamed in golds and yellows, and their egos on the unusual experience of mingling with others who saw the American West as the most exciting area for study and interest in all the world.

So spontaneous was the enthusiasm created by Santa Fe's hospitable atmosphere that one evening was hastily transformed into a "business meeting" where plans were discussed for a permanent organization that could arrange similarly pleasant conferences in the future. This meeting ended in the traditional manner, with the conversion of the original planning committee into an "Organization Committee" by the addition of a few new members to provide better geographical distribution. The new group set to work at once to plan a second conference to meet at Denver in mid-October, 1962, with the universities of Denver and Colorado as host institutions, and with a program designed to rival that at Santa Fe in variety and interest. As the plans progressed under the energetic direction of Professor Robert G. Athearn, and as a local arrangements committee headed by Professor Allen D. Breck surmounted the obstacles created by the burning of the hostelry scheduled as headquarters, others worked less spectacularly to prepare a constitution and rules for a permanent association to take shape during the conference. These efforts bore fruit when more than four hundred delegates from all the nation and a few European countries gathered amidst the modernistic splendors of the Denver Hilton Hotel. They listened to thirty-one papers that ran the gamut from history to literature to anthropology, enjoyed one dinner and two luncheon addresses, and responded bravely to a call for a business meeting where a constitution was adopted and officers elected for the Western History Association. Thus was born a new national society that even in its infancy has engendered more enthusiasm and attracted greater support than its most starry-eyed devotees believed possible.

The Western History Association is designed to serve as a meeting ground for all persons interested in the North American West, whatever their occupations and however unusual their interests. It hopes to attract as members historians, anthropologists, ethnohistorians, economists, sociologists, students of literature, and just plain Western buffs who enjoy immersing themselves in the glamorous details of the pioneer past. It has from its inception enjoyed the support of various corrals of The Westerners in the United States and abroad, and treasures this association as much as it does its relationships with the American Association for State and Local History or the American Studies Association. Its appeal is not alone to Americans but to Canadians and scholars and enthusiasts in Mexico, for the Association defines "West" in its broadest possible terms and plans in its programs and publications to pay proper attention to those often-neglected areas. Its purpose, in other words, is to "promote the study of the American West in all its varied aspects," by men and women in all walks of life and all fields of interest. By serving as a market place for their ideas it hopes to encourage the serious—and even the frivolous—writing and reading that will make our pioneer past better known and better understood by all people.

To further this objective its founders turned at once to the establishment of a quarterly journal that would mirror the broad interest of the Association. At its Denver meeting in 1962 the newly created executive committee agreed to accept the generous offer of the University of Utah to serve as host institution for that publication, and to make available the capable services of Dr. A. R. Mortensen as editor and of Professor C. Gregory Crampton as associate editor. These men, and the associates they have gathered about them, are determined to shape The American West into an outstanding journal, appealing alike to professional and amateur historians, and dedicated to the principle of supplying a wide audience with sound but readable accounts of the continent's most entrancing region. This first issue shows how wisely they have planned.

The American West is distributed to all members of the Western History Association. Those who read these words, whatever their occupation or interest, are cordially invited to join that Association, and to share in the exciting experience of exploring America's pioneer past, actually and vicariously.

Source: Ray A. Billington, from The American West, Vol. I No. 1, Winter 1964

The American West Publishing Company
THEN and NOW

George Pfeiffer, from the California Historical Society's interview (1984):

"I wanted to publish western history books, and we contracted with the Western History Association to publish their magazine. That way we gained a mailing list and got to know the head men of the Western History Association, two-thirds of whom had written books. The Western History Association had been hoping for about 1500 subscribers. We did a mailing, and the response was overwhelming. We came in with 25,000 subscribers! The first publication was in February 1965. Since it was a quarterly, the next issue was to come out four months later. It had started off with a great rush, and was a memorable thing to the people in those quarterly journal fields."

When George reached his 50th birthday, he decided to leave Sunset and begin his own publishing company. At that time "The American West" magazine was gaining momentum. Larry Lane didn't want to keep the American West account, and allowed George to take it with him. The Western History Association agreed to the new arrangement for the publication of their magazine. George incorporated the "American West Publishing Company" so that he could also publish Western history books—a subject near to his heart.

He remembered: "When the transition was complete, The American West  Magazine was managed from my new office in Palo Alto. The publishing company grew from Louise and I alone, to a staff of thirty-six at the high point."

"We owned the book business separately, The Western History Association didn't have money to publish books, nor the ability to gamble. Publishing a book is a gamble: we took the risk ourselves. As the business grew, Louise and I had to raise the money for the big books by putting a mortgage on our house, The books were about Western history and Western states and nearly all written from the Western point of view. I was mighty proud of those books, and they were good books, they were books selling for $14.95 ... it would be would be $30.00 or more now." (in 1984 at the time of the interview)

In 1975, George sold the American West Publishing Company and entered into an active retirement. He consulted about publishing out of his home office in Los Altos Hills. He also published two corporate histories, Castle & Cooke and Meet Me at the St. Francis.

Douglas Pfeiffer (2000):

"The short answer about American West Publishing Company is no, it does not exist as a publisher any longer.

The books line was sold to Crown Publishing which dropped the name of American West as an imprint. and only one or two titles remain in their line under the Crown name 25 years later.

The magazine, The American West was sold to a division of ABC Television who sold it to the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody, Wyoming. They sold it to a gentleman in Arizona named Tom Pew. He operated the magazine for a number of years while transforming it from a history magazine into more of a southwest arts magazine. It went out of business at least 5 or more years ago."

Source: www.imaginarypress.com/publishing.htm (accessed: 5/27/2008; Webpage disappeared: 2011).

Buffalo Bill Center of the West and The American West

The Buffalo Bill Historical Center's public outreach entered a significant new phase in March, 1978, with the acquisition of the American West Publishing Company and its magazine, The American West. A bimonthly magazine of western history founded in 1964 and owned at the beginning of 1978 by the American Broadcasting Company, The American West is widely regarded as the leading publication in its field.

Although edited to historians' standards, the heavily illustrated magazine is oriented toward a general audience. Paid circulation during 1978 was 25,000 with a total readership of approximately 75,000. Subscribers included individuals throughout the United States and overseas, several thousand public and school libraries, members of the Western History Association, and—commencing in 1978—patrons of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center.

Since 1976 the editorial and business offices for the magazine have been located in Cupertino, California. The staff of five includes a publisher/editor, managing editor, editorial assistant/advertising manager, business/circulation manager, and circulation assistant. The magazine is printed and mailed in Los Angeles, California.

The American West is sponsored by the Western History Association and enjoys a close relationship with that prestigious organization. Historical accuracy of material appearing in the magazine is ensured through the assistance of a twenty-five-member editorial advisory board comprised mainly of professional historians.

The year 1978 was a busy one for the magazine staff and members of the Center's Magazine Committee. Staff members traveled to Cody in March and again in June to facilitate an orderly transfer of operations to the new ownership and to develop plans for the year, including circulation and advertising campaigns.

A step undertaken in September—the raising of subscription rates from $12 to $15 per year—was necessitated by continuing increases in printing and paper costs for the magazine. This was the first subscription rate increase in four years.

In October, Center director Peter Hassrick and two members of the magazine staff attended the 1978 Western History Association Conference in Hot Springs, Arkansas, further cementing relations with the history organization.

A staff project undertaken during the fall of 1978 was the creation of a major direct-mail promotion campaign for the magazine. Five hundred thousand color brochures were printed for use during 1978-79, and a test mailing of 100,000 pieces was done in early November. A comprehensive reader survey was also carried out during 1978 through the assistance of a museum trustee.

During 1978 The American West received several awards for excellence in editorial content, design, and overall quality. At ceremonies on April 26 in Anaheim, California, the magazine received the Western Publications Association's 1978 award for best consumer magazine in the western United States. This is the association's most coveted honor in a competition involving more than one hundred major consumer magazines published in the fourteen far western states.

Publication of its first issues under the aegis of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center has enabled The American West to utilize valuable historical and museum resources not previously available and at the same time has brought the existence of the Center—and its magnificent collections—to the attention of a vastly expanded audience.

Source: Buffalo Bill Historical Center Annual Report, 1978