Santa Barbara, Calif.   —   2010-12-20   —  

Dr. Eric H. Boehm, who founded ABC-CLIO with his wife Inge in 1955, has been honored with the 2010 Jack D. Rittenhouse Award. The award, established twenty years ago by what is known today as the Publishers Association of the West (PubWest), was presented to Dr. Boehm on November 6, 2010 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, during PubWest's annual conference. This award pays tribute to those who have made significant contributions to the Western publishing community. Dr. Boehm is recognized not only for his achievements in his 50 years in the publishing industry, but also for his accomplishments during and active role in World War II.

Dr. Boehm, born in Germany in 1918, was sent to America at the age of 16 to escape Jewish persecution at the onset of World War II. In 1942, he received his undergraduate degree in history and chemistry at Ohio's College of Wooster and went on to earn a master's degree in international relations. From there he enlisted in the U.S. Army and put his language skills and education to use as an interrogation officer, participating in the questioning of leaders of the Luftwaffe and Field Marshall Wilhelm Keitel (Supreme Commander of German Armed Forces)—an instrumental event in ending World War II.   

After writing a book on his experiences during the war and completing his doctoral studies in international relations at Yale, Dr. Boehm and his wife Inge Pauli established ABC-CLIO in 1955. Five years later the company was moved to Santa Barbara, California, and has grown to establish an office in Denver, Colorado. ABC-CLIO's flagship product, Historical Abstracts, stemmed from Dr. Boehm's passion for sharing information and historical writings across the globe. Today, ABC-CLIO is an award-winning publisher of reference titles, academic and general interest books, electronic resources, and books for librarians and other professionals. For a detailed history of ABC-CLIO, please visit our About US page.

For more information about the Jack D. Rittenhouse Award, please visit the PubWest website.