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Key Porter Books

Key Porter Books fonds. – 1945-2007; predominant 1980-1990. – 25.81 m of textual records and graphic material. – 2 audio cassettes. – 1 video cassette.

Key Porter Books of Toronto, Ontario, was established by Anna Porter and Richard de Pencier in 1979. In addition to being one of the largest independent trade publishers in Canada, the company maintained an international reputation as a producer of quality books in an extensive range of categories. Key Porter published between 75 and 100 new titles annually in the areas of photography, art, business, finance, Canadian history and biography, memoirs, natural science, politics and current issues. Under the Key Porter Kids (KPK) imprint, the list included non-fiction, young adult fiction and picture books by authors such as Margaret Atwood, Tom King, László Gál, Carol Matas, Henry Kim and Tim Wynne Jones. Key Porter also published fiction using three imprints: Key Porter fiction, Patrick Crean Editions, and Lester and Orpen Dennys Limited. The list included Canadian and international writers such as Joan Barfoot, George Bowering, Sylvia Fraser, Thomas Keneally, Susan Swan, William Trevor and Yevgeny Yevtushenko. Among Key Porter’s non-fiction authors were Jack Batten, Stevie Cameron, Jean Chrétien, Robert Fulford, Basil Johnston, Farley Mowat and Eric Wright. Anna Porter sold Key Porter Books in July 2004 to H.F. Fenn. In September 2009 the company relocated to Bolton, Ontario and incurred a reduction in staff. Key Porter Books went out of business in early January 2011.

There have been six accruals. The first accrual (09-2000), which measures 3.23 m, consists of administrative files and is arranged in six series: Editorial, production, Anna Porter correspondence, Firefly Books Ltd. correspondence, Lester and Orpen Dennys Limited and manuscripts. The second accrual (39-2000), which measures 3.67 m, consists of administrative files and is arranged in two series: Editorial and Author Profiles. The third accrual (23-2002), which measures 5.3 m, consists of editorial files containing correspondence, contracts, and some proofs. The fourth accrual (16–2003), which measures 5.14 m, consists of editorial and production files containing correspondence, manuscripts, proofs, contracts, book proposals, marketing plans, invoices, and cost sheets, and is arranged in two series: Editorial and production and Anna Porter correspondence. The fifth accrual (44-2004), which measures 7.68 m, has been arranged in two series: Editorial and production and Lester and Orpen Dennys materials. The sixth accrual (81-2010), which measures 79 cm, consists primarily of editorial files with authors and company catalogues.

A list of books that accompanied the fourth accrual has been compiled.

Title based on content of fonds.
The first accrual was acquired in September 2000, the second accrual in October 2000, the third accrual in April 2002, the fourth accrual in April 2003, the fifth accrual in April 2004, the sixth accrual in May 2011, all from Key Porter Books.
Finding aid available in hard copy and electronically.
There are no access restrictions.
Further accruals are not expected.

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Last Reviewed: July 11, 2011
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