Our Mission
Archipelago is committed to bringing extraordinary works of prose, poetry, and children’s books to English-language readers in outstanding translations.
Our History
In 2003, Archipelago Books was founded by Jill Schoolman out of her studio apartment. The dream was to introduce readers to exceptional works of literature from around the world. That first year, with a staff of two, they succeeded in translating and publishing four titles and securing a distributor.
In twenty years, Archipelago has earned a reputation as an indispensable publisher of translated literature. In 2017, Archipelago launched Elsewhere Editions, a children’s imprint devoted to visionary picture books from around the world for young readers.
Since 2003, Archipelago Books has consistently identified and translated essential and singular voices from around the world. Its books have been heralded by The New York Times, The Guardian, and The New Yorker, and have garnered numerous awards, such as the PEN Translation Prize, Best Translated Book Award, the International Dublin Literary Award, as well as the National Book Award.
“Archipelago Books has earned the respect and support of every serious reader. I’m one of these readers and I have a special shelf reserved for books that Archipelago publishes. These are handsomely designed volumes containing the work of important writers who might otherwise remain in the deep distance of English-language translation.”
– Don Delillo
Note: We now use Give Lively to securely process donations, but rest assured 100% of your donation goes to Archipelago. Donations made through this form will show up on your bank statement as “Archipelago Books” and your gift receipt will be emailed to you from “Give Lively.”
Gifts of Stock
There are many ways to contribute to Archipelago, including donating shares of stocks or mutual funds. When you make a gift of stock to Archipelago Books—by eliminating the capital gains tax that would be due upon selling the stock—you receive tangible tax-savings and benefits while also supporting our mission. Thank you for your support!
Next Steps
- Contact Jillian Kravatz at or [email protected] for additional information and details on transferring stock to our brokerage account.
- Seek the advice of your financial or legal advisor.
- Always use our legal name and federal tax ID.
- Alert us as soon as a transfer is made.
Giving Tuesday 2024
This year, we’re doing something special for Giving Tuesday—with your help, we are donating hundreds of our titles to prison programs and libraries that need them. By pledging your support to our donation drive, you’ll help us cover the shipping fees to send cartons of our titles to programs that work hard to distribute them to incarcerated people and libraries in need.
The cost of shipping a box of books is around $15, not to mention all that goes into the books themselves: acquisition, translation, editing, book design and printing costs. A tax-deductible contribution of of any amount will go a long way towards allowing us to cover the costs to send our titles to readers with the most limited access to literature from around the world. You can choose one of our partner organizations below, or ask us to donate books to an organization of your choice.
Thank you for helping us get our books into the hands of those that might otherwise not find them this holiday season. Your support of our endeavors means the world to us.