Images From The Past

What Images From The Past does

Images From The Past is a privately held, founder-owned independent book publisher founded in 1992 and headquartered at 110 Harrison Avenue in Bennington, Vermont. The company specializes in richly illustrated historical titles — spanning Vermont and New England regional history, presidential biography, the American Revolution and Civil War, ethnic and immigrant heritage, cultural tourism, and middle-grade historical fiction — co-created with authors sourced from across the United States. Each title is positioned around extensive indexes, bibliographies, and a visual storytelling format that links captions to archival imagery, with the editorial direction driven by founder-publisher Tordis Ilg Isselhardt.

The underlying technology stack is minimal and non-proprietary: a WordPress-based e-commerce storefront with PayPal payment processing and USPS Media Mail fulfillment, restricted to shipments within the USA. There are no apps, APIs, or disclosed integrations, and no proprietary production technology beyond the editorial/design collaboration model the firm describes for each book.

The business model is direct-to-consumer one-time book sales. Hardcover editions retail between $35.00 and $49.50; paperback editions between $6.25 and $35.00; and slightly bruised or autographed copies are sold at discounts. No subscription, licensing, or recurring revenue streams exist. Customer segments are horizontal, spanning history enthusiasts, young readers/students, presidential and military history readers, literary biography and cultural tourism readers, and ethnic heritage researchers. Wholesale orders are available on inquiry only; there is no documented third-party retail or institutional distribution, no external funding, no parent company, and no subsidiaries.

Name

Images From The Past

Legal name

Images from the Past

Website

https://imagesfromthepast.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Images From The Past is a founder-owned independent Vermont publisher founded in 1992 that produces richly illustrated historical books on New England, presidential, military, and ethnic heritage subjects, selling directly to consumers via its own website.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Book Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Book Retailers and News Dealers (459210)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Biography, Memoir & Narrative Nonfiction Publishing (MPAJAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Lifestyle, Travel & Leisure Books Publishing (MPAJAAAH), Picture Book Publishing (MPAJAFAA)

Keywords

• Illustrated history books
• Independent book publishing
• Regional history titles
• Presidential history books
• Civil war history

Headquarters

HQ city

Bennington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: One-time sales of published books through their e-commerce storefront. Books are sold in multiple formats (hardcover, paperback, slightly bruised copies) at different price points. No subscription or recurring revenue model mentioned.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Images From The Past is a small independent Vermont-based book publisher that produces and sells richly illustrated historical books covering Vermont, New England, and American history topics including presidential history, military history, cultural tourism, ethnic heritage, and books for young readers. Books are sold directly to consumers through the company's own e-commerce website in hardcover, paperback, and discounted slightly bruised or autographed formats, with shipping limited to the USA via Media Mail.

Product overview

Images from the Past is a small independent Vermont publisher founded in 1992 by Tordis Ilg Isselhardt, specializing in historical books that bring to life stories of people, places, and events. The company publishes books across multiple categories including Military History (such as Letters to Vermont, America's Song, Civil War novels), Presidential History (Reagan's Roots, Recollections of Reagan, Essential George Washington, Kennedy in Ireland), Cultural Tourism (Bennington Battle Monument, Norman Rockwell in Vermont, Thoreau and Kipling in Vermont), Books for Young People (Will Ryan and the CCC series), Ethnic History (Irish in Vermont, Franco-American novels), Art (Grandma Moses, vintage photograph books), Literature (Searching for Thoreau, Rudyard Kipling in Vermont), and Science (Before We Went Wireless). Their books are richly illustrated with carefully researched historical content including extensive indexes and bibliographies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Before We Went Wireless: David Edward Hughes FRS His Life, Inventions, and Discoveries (1829-1900) A biography of British-American inventor David Edward Hughes (1829-1900), a contemporary of Edison and Bell who made major contributions in telegraphy, telephony, metal detection, and audiology, aimed at adult history and science readers.
• Invasion on the Mountain: The Adventures of Will Ryan and the Civilian Conservation Corps, 1933, Book I First book in a series for middle school readers about 12-year-old Will Ryan learning to share Ascutney Mountain with young men of the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933, aimed at children and middle-grade students.
• Trouble on the Mountain: The Adventures of Will Ryan and the Civilian Conservation Corps, 1934-35, Book II Second book in the Will Ryan series following Camp 129 of the Civilian Conservation Corps, featuring wildfire, blizzard, and challenges in 1930s Vermont, aimed at middle-grade readers.
• At the Top of the Mountain: The Adventures of Will Ryan and the Civilian Conservation Corps 1936-38, Book III Third book completing the adventures of Will Ryan and his CCC friends as they celebrate completion of the summit road, aimed at middle-grade readers.
• Alligators Always Dress For Dinner: A Vintage Photograph Alphabet Book A vintage photograph alphabet book featuring late 19th and early 20th century images in sepia duotone, aimed at young children and collectors.
• One of Ourselves: John Fitzgerald Kennedy in Ireland An account of President Kennedy's 3.5-day visit to Ireland in late June 1963, covering places visited, people met, and events during his homecoming, aimed at presidential history readers.
• Washington's Farewell: To His Officers After Victory in The Revolution The story of George Washington's emotional parting with his officers on December 4, 1783 at Fraunces Tavern in New York City after victory in the Revolution, aimed at military and presidential history readers.
• The Essential George Washington: Two Hundred Years of Observations on the Man, the Myth, the Patriot A collection of observations on George Washington from contemporaries and Americans over two centuries, aimed at presidential history enthusiasts.
• Reagan's Roots: The People and Places That Shaped His Character An account of how the experiences, challenges, and adventures of Ronald Reagan's childhood, youth, and young adulthood shaped his character and values, aimed at presidential history readers.
• Recollections of Reagan: A Portrait of Ronald Reagan Reminiscences about Ronald Reagan from more than fifty friends and colleagues including Margaret Thatcher, George Bush, Pete Wilson, Mike Wallace and Colin Powell, aimed at presidential history readers.
• The Real Woodrow Wilson: An Interview with Arthur S. Link, Editor of the Wilson Papers A 1993 interview with Arthur S. Link revealing a fuller picture of Woodrow Wilson and the story of his 35-year effort completing 69 volumes of Wilson Papers, aimed at presidential history researchers.
• The Quotable Calvin Coolidge: Sensible Words for a New Century A collection of over 200 quotations from Calvin Coolidge revealing his concise, direct, and eloquent views on issues relevant to Americans, aimed at presidential history readers and quote collectors.
• Ronald Reagan and His Ranch: The Western White House, 1981-1989 An intimate portrait of the Reagan Ranch in Santa Barbara, California, written by longtime Reagan friend and associate Peter Hannaford, aimed at presidential history readers.
• One Came Back (Un Revenant): A Franco-American Civil War Novel The first English translation of an 1884 romantic adventure by Rémi Tremblay about French-Canadian enlistee experiences in the Civil War, aimed at ethnic heritage and Civil War readers.
• The Innocent Victim: A Franco-American Civil War Novel A tale of deceit, determination, love, loss, and murder about 19th century French-Canadian immigrants to New England, aimed at ethnic heritage and Civil War readers.
• The Honor of Command: General Burgoyne's Saratoga Campaign, June-October 1777 The story of Major General John Burgoyne's campaign from Quebec that led to his defeat and surrender at Saratoga, a turning point in the American Revolution, aimed at military history readers.
• Bennington's Battle Monument: Massive and Lofty The story of the 306-foot dolomite obelisk in Bennington, Vermont commemorating the 1777 Revolutionary War victory, aimed at cultural tourism and military history readers.
• America's Song: The Story of 'Yankee Doodle' The first book to chronicle the origins of 'Yankee Doodle' from a Dutch folk tune to America's anthem of defiance and victory, aimed at American history and cultural readers.
• Letters to Vermont Vol. 1: From Her Civil War Soldier Correspondents to the Home Press Letters from seven Vermont soldiers in the Civil War telling of Vermonters at Gettysburg, around Lee's army, and defending Washington D.C., aimed at Civil War and Vermont history researchers.
• Letters to Vermont Vol. 2: From Her Civil War Soldier Correspondents to the Home Press Letters from six Vermont soldiers telling stories of campaigns from Louisiana to Virginia and their march into fallen Richmond, aimed at Civil War and Vermont history researchers.
• Searching for Thoreau: On the Trails and Shores of Wild New England Ten essays comparing the author's firsthand experiences in New England places to those of Henry David Thoreau 150 years earlier, aimed at literary and nature enthusiasts.
• Rudyard Kipling in Vermont: Birthplace of The Jungle Books The story of Rudyard Kipling's four years in Vermont where he wrote The Jungle Books, told through his letters and memoirs, aimed at literary biography readers.
• Boston's French Secrets: Guided Walks That Reveal Boston's French Heritage

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The American Chestnut FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-published 'Mighty Giants: An American Chestnut Anthology' with The American Chestnut Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the re-establishment of the American chestnut tree to its natural range. The book features essays, poems, folklore, and historical accounts about the American chestnut tree.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• The History Press: Publishes regional and niche American history titles, often illustrated and locally focused. Directly comparable specialty publisher operating in the same historical trade-book category as Images from the Past.
• Stackpole Books: Independent publisher with strong military and American history lists plus nature and regional titles. Closely mirrors the illustrated, niche-history profile of Images from the Past.
• Schiffer Publishing: Independent publisher producing illustrated specialty titles across history, art, and collectibles. Comparable to Images from the Past in visual, niche-history product positioning.
• Osprey Publishing: Specialist military and history publisher with strong illustrated catalog. Overlaps with Images from the Past's military history segment (Revolution, Civil War campaigns).
• The Countryman Press: Independent publisher of New England, hiking, cultural heritage and regional history titles. Comparable illustrated, niche-history profile and regional emphasis.
• McBooks Press: Independent publisher of historical fiction and nonfiction history titles, with a strong illustrated catalog. Overlaps with the historical and ethnic heritage content Images from the Past publishes.
• Westholme Publishing: Independent publisher focused on American history, military, and political biography. Closely aligned with Images from the Past's presidential and military titles.
• Helion & Company: Specialist military history and campaign studies publisher. Comparable to Images from the Past's Revolutionary War and Civil War campaign narratives.

Regional players

• Down East Books: Regional New England publisher of illustrated histories, travel guides, and cultural books. Strongly comparable given shared New England regional focus with Images from the Past.

Broad incumbents

• Globe Pequot Press (Rowman & Littlefield): Broad trade publisher with strong travel, regional history and cultural guides lists. Larger incumbent operating in adjacent niches to Images from the Past's cultural tourism titles.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/images-from-the-past

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Images From The Past