About Us
Seventh Street Books™ is devoted to publishing quality mystery and thriller fiction. It is an imprint of Prometheus Books, an independent publisher of provocative and progressive nonfiction.
The imprint’s name pays homage to the trailblazing influence of Edgar Allan Poe. While living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Poe published “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” considered by many to be the first detective story and an inspiration to later mystery fiction. The Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site in Philadelphia is located in a preserved home once rented by the author on North Seventh Street.
Starting in October 2012, the inaugural season of Seventh Street Books™ brings a diverse lineup of crime fiction including the mysterious disappearance of booksellers in Paris; an edge-of-your-seat political/military thriller; a timely mystery that touches on the role of women in Afghanistan; the first of a trilogy set in Northern Ireland during the Troubles; a literary mystery within a mystery based on the real life of Dashiell Hammett; Eli Paxton, Private Investigator; a blind psychiatrist as an “expert witness” in a murder trial; and a new line of Carolyn Hart classics.
Prometheus Books first entered the genre fiction market in March 2005 when it launched Pyr®, a science fiction and fantasy imprint. Pyr® has become known for books with quality both inside and out, from engrossing narratives to award-winning covers. Pyr® editorial director Lou Anders received the 2011 Hugo Award for Best Editor–Long Form. The critical and commercial success of Pyr® was a driving force behind the development of Seventh Street Books™.
“After many years successfully focusing on nonfiction, Pyr® proved to us that we could also do well in the genre fiction arena. We are very grateful for the way that brand has been embraced by the science fiction and fantasy community,” said Prometheus Books president Jonathan Kurtz. “A new imprint devoted to crime fiction is ripe with possibilities. There is a growing market for genre fiction, particularly in the age of the ebook, and we couldn’t be more pleased with the inaugural lineup of authors and titles Seventh Street Books™ editorial director Dan Mayer has acquired.”
Founded in 1969, Prometheus Books has a back catalog of nearly 2,500 books and produces an average of 110 new titles each year across four lines: Prometheus Books,Humanity Books, Pyr®, and now Seventh Street Books™.
