The Press of James A. Decker was a poetry publishing house once located in the tiny hamlet of Prairie City, Illinois.
[1] The Decker Press received national attention in the 1940s, when it published work by famous authors such as Edgar Lee Masters, August Derleth, Hubert Creekmore, William Everson (Brother Antoninus), David Ignatow, Kenneth Patchen, Kenneth Rexroth and Louis Zukofsky.
[3] James Decker returned to Prairie City with the goal of combining his passion for poetry and his interest in publishing.
Decker obtained a small hand press, which he set up in the back room of his grandfather's drug store.
[5] The Archives and Special Collections Unit at Western Illinois University Libraries is the single-largest holder of materials from the Press of James A. Decker.