Mark Ford

The Agora

The Agora began as a small publishing outfit in Washington, DC in 1978. Its founder, Bill Bonner, was interested in publishing ideas and opportunities commonly overlooked by the mainstream media. He started with International Living, a newsletter devoted to working, investing, and retiring overseas. After the success of that title, the company grew slowly but steadily, one publication at a time. By the 1990's the business had expanded to include several thriving publishing groups and relocated to a beautiful, historic Baltimore City neighborhood. During that same period, The Agora's footprint stretched overseas, with subscribers across the globe and businesses sprouting in major cities including Paris, London, and Melbourne. More would soon follow. The workforce grew from a handful to hundreds of people. Collectively, the groups published dozens of newsletters and magazines in the areas of travel, health, business, and investing. The Agora also includes two educational book publishing companies: Pickering and Chatto, the oldest book publisher in England, and Les Belle Lettres, which specializes in classical Greek and Roman texts. Today, our network includes dozens of publishing and media companies that are privately run and have individual product lines. Still, as distinctive and independent as they have grown to be, they all share The Agora's core mission of bringing the best new and unconventional viewpoints, perspectives and strategies to the global marketplace.