History of Ulysses Press

Ulysses Press began in the front bedroom of the Berkeley, California, home of founders Ray Riegert and Leslie Henriques in 1983. At its conception, Ulysses only published one book, the “adventure travel guide” (a brand-new concept at the time) to the Hawaiian Islands, Ray Riegert’s Hidden Hawaii. The book became a success, and the publishing house expanded its adventure travel coverage to new locations, eventually releasing Hidden guides on far-flung destinations around the world, from Belize, Tahiti, and the Yucatán to New England, the Florida Keys, and the California Coastline.

As the press continued to evolve and as the publishing industry changed, Ulysses began publishing outside of travel, first venturing into religion and spirituality and then health and fitness. With the rise of the dot-com revolution and advances in computing and e-commerce, Ulysses reinvented itself once again as a data-driven, cutting-edge indie publisher—seeking out new projects on everything from pop culture and cooking to education and true crime. In 2011, Ulysses was named on the Publishers Weekly Top 10 Fastest-Growing Independent Publishers list (and has been featured consistently on the list for over a decade).

In 2011, Ulysses Press moved east, opening its first office in Brooklyn, New York. Today, the publishing house maintains a bicoastal workforce, with offices in Brooklyn and Berkeley, and continues to publish an eclectic list focused on emerging trends.