Since 1973, Véhicule Press has published poetry, fiction, translations, and social history by Canadian authors, with a commitment to publishing first-time authors—a third of its list.

It publishes books of interest to Canadians and an international audience, in addition to titles that document Quebec culture in its Dossier Québec series (histories of the Irish, Scots, Jewish, Japanese, and black communities).

Véhicule Press has also translated literary works from Spanish, Polish, Arabic, Yiddish, and (mostly) French. The press also publishes restaurant guides.

History

Véhicule Press began in 1973 on the premises of Véhicule Art Inc. – one of Canada’s first artist-run galleries located in what was once the legendary night club Café Montmartre – using equipment inherited from Kenneth Hertz’s Ingluvin Publications, and an ancient printing press that had been abandoned by a member-artist of the gallery. In 1975 the press became Quebec’s only cooperatively-owned printing and publishing company. Simon Dardick and Guy Lavoie were general editors; Ken Norris, Artie Gold

Artie Gold

Artie Gold was a Montreal based Canadian poet who rose to prominence in the 1970s as one of the circle of Montreal-based writers known as the Vehicule Poets...

, and Endre Farkas were the poetry editors. In spring 1981, the co-op was dissolved and Simon Dardick and Nancy Marrelli continued Véhicule Press from a greystone situated in the Plateau area of Montreal near Boulevard St-Laurent. Michael Harris

Michael Harris

Michael Harris is an award-winning Canadian author, investigative journalist, and radio personality who hosts an afternoon radio talk show, "Michael Harris Live", on Ottawa-based CFRA, and was a columnist for The Ottawa Sun newspaper until March 2011.Born in Toronto, Ontario, to Audrey McDonald ...

 was the editor of the Signal Editions Poetry series from 1981 to 2000. Poet and critic Carmine Starnino

Carmine Starnino

Carmine Starnino is a Canadian poet, essayist, educator, and editor.He was born in Montreal, Quebec, into an Italian heritage. His first poetry collection The New World was nominated for the 1997 A. M. Klein Prize for Poetry and the 1997 Gerald Lampert Award...

 became editor in November 2000. Eighty titles have appeared under the "Signal" imprint. In late summer 2003 the press inaugurated Esplanade Books, a new fiction series edited by Andrew Steinmetz.