Company Overview
Oliver Ditson established himself as one of the front runners in publishing during the late 19th and early 20th century. In 1835, he started his own publishing company, and quickly partnered with Samuel Parker to form the Parker & Ditson firm. Coming from humble beginnings, Ditson’s company evolved into an empire that has earned its place in publishing history. The partnership lasted until 1842, at which point Ditson acquired the remainder of the company. Finally in 1857, Oliver Ditson & Co. was formed when John C. Haynes joined forces with Ditson.
Oliver Ditson & Co. continued to expand throughout North America and beyond. It is evident that Ditson foresaw the value of networking and establishing roots in many of the major urban centers. He specifically expanded to cities such as New York, where the economy was strong and there was great potential for the distribution of his publications. (Marrocco)
Ditson strategically introduced himself into these markets through a number of methods. The company bought out other publishing firms, beginning with small ones. In 1867, he made a big move by acquiring Firth, Son & Co. in New York. From then on, the company took over many major firms in the United States. By acquiring firms in other areas, Ditson paved the way to new firms that were operated by his own sons. He sent Charles Ditson and James Ditson to New York and Philedelphia respectively. It is interesting to note that a significant portion of the smaller firms that he bought were in these two cities. He had gained the catalogues of these firms and had bought into the resources needed to set up his own distribution centers succesully. Ditson also invested financially in the creation of other firms, particularly that of Lyon & Healy in Chicago (Armendariz) and John C. Church in Cincinnati (Krohn). Oliver Ditson & Co. came to the end of its reign in 1931, at which point it was absorbed by Presser.