Algora Publishing was founded in 1992 as a voice in the wilderness...well, a thin wail, but we are gaining strength.

Algora Publishing is an independent publisher featuring top international authors on questions of global scope. Like any good oracle, we do not give straight answers . . . but we help readers sharpen their own analyses on questions of Politics & International Affairs, History, Philosophy and Social Issues, Political Economy and Current Events, Law, Mind, Culture, Literature, and Education & Reference.

• Many people are out there, thinking things through, asking pertinent questions, working long years to research and investigate their subjects of interest, and writing magnificent pieces... But then what? The “big houses” don't publish their works. We do.

• Six conglomerates hold 80% of the book publishing industry today and major trade publishers are increasingly unwilling to take risks with new authors.

• Still Algora is publishing fresh voices and bringing fresh perspectives on important issues of our times.

• Algora publishes intriguing, serious books on matters of national and international concern in the tradition of independent publishing. We invite our counterparts — independent bookstores and readers — to come to us.

Our message is one of enlightenment, social progress and intellectual curiosity.

"One way for us to end up being viewed as the ugly American is for us to go around the world saying, we do it this way, so should you. Now, we trust freedom. We know freedom is a powerful, powerful, powerful force, much bigger than the United States of America,... I think the United States must be humble and must be proud and confident of our values, but humble in how we treat nations that are figuring out how to chart their own course." — George W. Bush, October 11, 2000 The Second Gore-Bush Presidential Debate

Publishing in a Hostile World — what are the critics saying:

"These are hard times for journalism in America. Newspapers are at best shrinking, at worst folding."

"Credentials don’t count. All views are equal. Some sort of criticism may survive the American media revolution, but professional criticism may not."

"Call it the American Idolisation of culture. On TV, contestants get voted off without explanation. Quality is measured by thumbs, up or down. Scholarly analyses have turned into irrelevant extravagances for snobs."

"Many US papers have abandoned thoughtful, detailed reviews altogether. Publishers, editors and, presumably, readers want instant evaluations and newsbites, preferably with flashy pictures. It is Zagat-think, simplicity for the simple-minded."

To read more go to FT.com: Critics in a Hostile World