McClain Printing Company
Encyclopedia
The McClain Printing Company (MPC) is a printing company specializing in books of West Virginia
history and lore. The company was incorporated in 1958 in Parsons, West Virginia
as an outgrowth of the local weekly newspaper, the Parsons Advocate.
professors who feared that early local West Virginia histories would be lost if they were not reprinted. In 1958, the newspaper undertook the reprinting of Alexander Scott Withers
’ classic history, Chronicles of Border Warfare, as its first venture in book publishing. When McClain retired in the early 1970s, his son-in-law and daughter, George and Mariwyn Smith, moved to Parsons. George took over the printing company and Mariwyn the newspaper. When George Smith retired in 1997, son Kenneth E. Smith became the third generation to operate the company.
In its first 35 years of existence, the MPC produced comprehensive county histories of over 35 West Virginia counties, as well as thousands of other titles. These included the works of West Virginia poet laureate Louise McNeill
, folklorists such as Ruth Ann Musick
and James Gay Jones, bestselling volumes such as Howard B. Lee
’s Bloodletting in Appalachia and Roy B. Clarkson’s Tumult on the Mountains, and reprints of classic local histories by W.C. Dodrill, Wills DeHass, Hu Maxwell
, and others.
Commercial printing was added as a service several years ago. Today, the MPC pursues offset printing, a book binding service, a typesetting service, and magazine and book publishing and printing. Much of their printing services consist of commercial printing such as pamphlets, catalogs, pocket folders, magazines, post cards, brochures, flyers, etc. Although MPC does occasionally still finance historical books or reprints, it is now predominately a private book publisher. It does not take profits from any of its author's book sales as “vanity presses” do. MPC products may be found on offer throughout the United States.
Annual sales for the MPC are in the range of $1 million to $2.5 million.
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
history and lore. The company was incorporated in 1958 in Parsons, West Virginia
Parsons, West Virginia
The town of Parsons is the county seat of Tucker County, West Virginia, in the United States. The population was 1,463 at the 2000 census. The mayor of Parsons is Dorothy Judy and the city administrator is Jason Myers...
as an outgrowth of the local weekly newspaper, the Parsons Advocate.
History
In 1943, Ken and Faith Reynolds McClain had bought the Parsons Advocate which had been founded in 1896. Mr. McClain was approached around 1957 by West Virginia UniversityWest Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
professors who feared that early local West Virginia histories would be lost if they were not reprinted. In 1958, the newspaper undertook the reprinting of Alexander Scott Withers
Alexander Scott Withers
Alexander Scott Withers was the author of Chronicles of Border Warfare , a history of the early white settlement of western Virginia and consequent conflicts with American Indians.-Biography:Withers was a son of Enoch K...
’ classic history, Chronicles of Border Warfare, as its first venture in book publishing. When McClain retired in the early 1970s, his son-in-law and daughter, George and Mariwyn Smith, moved to Parsons. George took over the printing company and Mariwyn the newspaper. When George Smith retired in 1997, son Kenneth E. Smith became the third generation to operate the company.
In its first 35 years of existence, the MPC produced comprehensive county histories of over 35 West Virginia counties, as well as thousands of other titles. These included the works of West Virginia poet laureate Louise McNeill
Louise McNeill
Louise McNeill was an American poet, essayist, and historian of Appalachia.McNeill was born January 9, 1911 in Buckeye, West Virginia, USA on a farm that her family had owned since 1769. Her father, G. D. McNeil was a writer who published a collections of short stories about the forests of...
, folklorists such as Ruth Ann Musick
Ruth Ann Musick
Ruth Ann Musick was an American author and folklorist specializing in West Virginia. She was the sister of artist Archie Musick and niece of author John R...
and James Gay Jones, bestselling volumes such as Howard B. Lee
Howard B. Lee
Howard Burton Lee , of Mercer County, served as the Republican Attorney General of West Virginia from 1925 to 1933. His efforts to eliminate government corruption during that time helped to end the West Virginia Mine Wars. Lee was born in Wirt County, West Virginia and graduated from Marshall...
’s Bloodletting in Appalachia and Roy B. Clarkson’s Tumult on the Mountains, and reprints of classic local histories by W.C. Dodrill, Wills DeHass, Hu Maxwell
Hu Maxwell
Hu Maxwell was a local historian, novelist, editor, poet, and author of several histories of West Virginia counties.-Biography:...
, and others.
Commercial printing was added as a service several years ago. Today, the MPC pursues offset printing, a book binding service, a typesetting service, and magazine and book publishing and printing. Much of their printing services consist of commercial printing such as pamphlets, catalogs, pocket folders, magazines, post cards, brochures, flyers, etc. Although MPC does occasionally still finance historical books or reprints, it is now predominately a private book publisher. It does not take profits from any of its author's book sales as “vanity presses” do. MPC products may be found on offer throughout the United States.
Annual sales for the MPC are in the range of $1 million to $2.5 million.