[2] As a teenager, he worked in an iron foundry helping to mold cannon balls for the army during the Civil War.

This activity proved too strenuous for his young physique[3] and in 1864, at 16, he began selling tickets for the Strokosch Opera Company in Pittsburgh.

Through this acquisition, Presser traces its origins to 1783, when Batelle's Book Store (later the Oliver Ditson Company), began a music-publishing business in Boston, Massachusetts.

On August 31, 2004, Presser closed its retail music stores in both King of Prussia and Center City Philadelphia.

[5] Other subsidiaries include Editions Orphée, Elkan-Vogel, Falls House Press, and Merion Music.

[6] In addition to its own catalog, Presser represents the music of more than 70 U.S. and foreign publishers, including Universal Edition, Peermusic Classical, Éditions Alphonse Leduc, and Bärenreiter.

His philanthropic zeal is continued to this day through his foresight in forming the Presser Foundation in 1916, nine years before his death.