[Genealib] U.S. History Publishers (Murrieta, CA)

Thu Jan 17 11:22:59 EST 2008

We received this fax at Mount Clemens Public Library (MI) this morning.  The reference librarian in me checked the California Secretary of State registered corporation database, as well as the business registrations for Riverside County, California (their postal address is a P.O. Box in Murrieta, which is Riverside County), and found no listings for this company.  A reverse lookup on the telephone number also comes up empty.  In my experience, reputable businesses do not have an unlisted phone number as their primary contact number.

We will be discarding the fax unanswered.

Deborah Larsen
Assistant Director
Mount Clemens Public Library
150 Cass Avenue | Mount Clemens MI 48043
(586) 469-6200 | www.libcoop.net/mountclemens

	-----Original Message----- 
	From: Local History [mailto:localhistory at forbeslibrary.org] 
	Sent: Thu 1/17/2008 11:06 AM 
	To: Librarians Serving Genealogists 
	Cc: 
	Subject: Re: [Genealib] U.S. History Publishers (Murrieta, CA)

	Several Massachusetts libraries and historical societies also received the fax.  We were suspicious and after not being able to reach anyone via email or phone and seeing their bad and out of date website, we discarded the fax.  
	Julie

	Julie H. Bartlett
	Archivist
	Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library & Museum 
	Hampshire Room for Local History
	Forbes Library 
	20 West St. 
	Northampton, MA  01060
	(413) 587-1014
	jbartlett at forbeslibrary.org

		----- Original Message ----- 
		From: Barbara Hill <mailto:bhill at calmail.berkeley.edu>  
		To: Librarians Serving Genealogists <mailto:genealib at mailman.acomp.usf.edu>  
		Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2008 3:42 AM
		Subject: Re: [Genealib] U.S. History Publishers (Murrieta, CA)

		Dear Genealib list subscribers, 

		As a former Acquisitions library assistant before I retired, I am deeply suspicious, and am attempting to check this with a former colleague.  I urge all of you to hold off ordering any of this projected set until more information is available; and whatever you do, don't prepay for an order. 

		Here is some background history on what MIGHT be going on - although it may turn out that this company is completely legit. 

		25 to 30 years ago or so, there was a so-called publishing company located in St. Clair Shores, Michigan which sent advertisements to libraries around the country for wonderful books, such as an encyclopedia of the American Indians.  They required prepayment with their orders, refused refunds, and never published any of the books they advertised.  Eventually they were arrested and prosecuted for mail fraud, and one or more of the people involved did time in prison.  The name of the principal ringleaders of the scam was Gille, and a search in a library literature database might turn up a more accurate story than I can now recall.  See also http://serials.infomotions.com/acqnet/archive/2001/200112/0136.html   (hope I typed that correctly) 

		After the perps got out of jail, they continued their business, mostly under the name Somerset Publishers but also other imprints, and managed to stay a few steps ahead of the law by actually publishing most of the titles they advertised.  However, their works are nearly worthless as to accuracy, completeness, or reference value - I have personally examined a few. 

		Example:  one title is "Encyclopedia of California."  It is a compilation of numerous out-of-date government publications (thus public domain and not subject to copyright), and additional information gleaned from Chamber of Commerce brochures solicited from various municipalities.  A section in the back has grainy black-and-white photos.  One of the photos is of a totally insignificant neighborhood park in my home city, about 3 blocks from where I live; and yet there is not one single photo of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.  The neighborhood park photo came directly from a Chamber of Commerce brochure, I recognized it.  A section of this so-called encyclopedia was devoted to historic sites in California, and listed an early California adobe homestead in my town as though it still exists - but it was destroyed by fire in 1956 and was immediately replaced by a shopping center.  Clearly the information came straight out of a really OLD government publication.  Somerset Publishers also published several other state "encyclopedias." 

		Example:  another title is "Biographical Dictionary of California" which purports to include all sorts of people who contributed to the development of the state.  I do not know the sources from which it was compiled, but among many glaring omissions, there is no mention of "Big Daddy" Jesse Unruh (one of our most colorful state politicos); former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley; former San Francisco mayor and state assemblyman Willie Brown; and many, many others.  On the other hand, one person included in this work is some obscure one-term Tennessee congressman whose only reason for inclusion (and only connection to California whatsoever) is that he voted in favor of California's statehood. 

		The questionnaire described below sounds (to me) like a similar sort of compilation - publish something that sounds and looks substantial, but requires minimal effort to put together, then sell it to libraries at inflated prices, get rich, and refuse returns or refunds.  If these people aren't the same old perps, they might be a new bunch.  Or - perhaps not. 

		Something to be aware of when looking at WorldCat - some libraries use an acquisition system which ties into the OCLC database, so that their holdings information gets attached to the record BEFORE they actually get the book.  It is not absolutely clear to me (from WorldCat) whether ANY of the listed libraries actually owns a volume of this purported 14-volume set, or whether the holdings information in WorldCat merely reflects orders placed.  I did check the UC Irvine catalog and see that their order has been open since June of 2006. 

		Be suspicious.  Be VERY suspicious. 

		Barbara Hill 

		At 04:53 PM 1/14/2008, you wrote:

			Hi, all--
			        My library has received a faxed questionnaire from an organization called U.S. History Publishers.  They are asking us to give them information about our area, to be included in one volume of an upcoming multi-volume set called the Dictionary of United States History.  The questionnaire also asks for the names of historical books about our county, with the note that "We plan to obtain copies of the books you recommended, digitize them for reprinting, and make the digital images available on Google Book Search."
			        I'm a little wary of getting involved with the company, particularly when their website looks new, has little information, and provides no contact information.
			        This data collection effort seems a bit simplistic and underdeveloped.  The company does not stipulate which area they are interested in, for instance; some of the questions ask about our "city/town/unincorporated area" and about our "city/town/county/region."  They ask for very little substantive information, but leave a lot of space for "two or three interesting facts" and "historical and famous people who were born or lived in your city/town/unincorporated area."  They ask for the names of "historical document locations," but only provide room to list one library, one historical society, and an "additional individual." They also ask for the publishing information about historical books, providing room for only seven.  (We have thousands, which I couldn't possibly begin to list.)  Further, the request for books doesn't specify books that are out of copyright, although presumably that's what they'd be interested in, but it does ask for an ISBN, which would only be found on relatively current copyrighted material.
			        Has anyone heard anything about this publisher?  What is this company's reputation?  Thanks for any light anyone can shed on this.
			Best wishes,
			Libby Feil
			-- 

  _____  

		_______________________________________________
		genealib mailing list
		genealib at mailman.acomp.usf.edu
		http://mailman.acomp.usf.edu/mailman/listinfo/genealib

-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/ms-tnef
Size: 11490 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://mailman.acomp.usf.edu/pipermail/genealib/attachments/20080117/4b8fc58e/attachment.bin