[2]: viii Sometime in this period, writer Ambrose Bierce wrote a scathing review of one of Neale's publications that extended to the company itself.
The book in question quickly sold 6,000 copies as a result of the review and Bierce and Neale became close friends shortly thereafter.
[2]: xi From 1901 onwards, Neale became a prolific publisher books about the American Civil War and the Southern United States in general.
[2]: xvi In 1912, Walter Neale was arrested after sending a threatening letter to one of his authors, Elizabeth Meriwether.
It moved locations to a smaller and less expensive building, sold much of its back catalog at a significant discount, and stopped nearly all of its print advertising.
Publications resumed in 1927, culminating in Neale publishing a book of his own in 1929: Life of Ambrose Bierce, a tribute to his friend who had disappeared in 1913.