Astragal Press was founded by Martyl and Emil Pollak in 1983 to publish books, at affordable prices, for those interested in antique tools and early trades and technologies. We publish new works as well as reprints of out-of-print classics, and have developed into one of the principal resources for those interested in areas such as antique tool collecting, metalworking, carriage building, early sciences and early trades. Recently we have broadened our market to include early railroading, offering both new titles and reprints. Astragal currently has over 85 titles in print. In keeping with our emphasis on affordability, most of our books are not full-color and have soft covers. Because we publish in a niche market, our print runs are small, typically less than 3,000 copies.

We will gladly discuss a concept for a book or review a manuscript for a potential author. We look for content that fits with or complements our core interests of antique tools, early trades and early technology.

We strive to maintain simple, minimally structured relationships with our authors. We are here for support, editorial guidance, book layout and proofing, and production. Specifically, we offer:

Astragal Press is an Imprint of Finney Company. Our manuscript guidelines provide the information required for submitting a proposal. We encourage you to review these guidelines. The link will redirect you to the Finney Company site and guidelines.