The appearance of this issue marks the twentieth anniversary of AMERICAN HERITAGE magazine, an occasion which gives all of us who are connected with it a deep sense of satisfaction. What had been briefly a teacher’s guide issued by the American Association for State and Local History became a softcovered illustrated quarterly in 1949, with a modest but enthusiastic audience of professionals. In 1954 the American Heritage Publishing Company was organized to take over and convert the magazine to its present content and permanent hardcover format. The first of the new series came out in December, 1954: the cover, which showed a buffalo hunter, appears above. That issue was an instant sell-out, and AMERICAN HERITAGE began a climb in circulation and reputation that was spectacular in view either of its price (which, without advertising, had to be high) or its serious intellectual level. The company grew in the field and was soon publishing related books, textbooks, and reference works. The latest and largest of these is The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, which came out a few months ago. A sister magazine, HORIZON, was created in 1958.

Growth is one measure of achievement, but not the only one. We are pleased that we still enjoy the sponsorship of two distinguished professional historical oganizations. One is the Society of American Historians, consisting of writers and professors of history, and the other is our original publisher, the American Association for State and Local History. To these two nonprofit groups we have over the last fifteen years contributed more than $750,000, which has been used for a multitude of useful historical projects.

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