The Ontario Book Publishers Association named Dundurn Press founder and president Kirk Howard the recipient of its Janice E. Handford Award at a reception in Toronto last night.

Established in 1997, the annual award honours a member of the publishing industry who has “advanced the cause” of Canadian small presses.

Howard founded Toronto-based Dundurn in 1972 with the aim of publishing mainly Canadian historical non-fiction, though the press has since expanded to boast more than 2,500 fiction, YA, biography, mystery, business, and current-affairs titles.

Howard says, in a press release: “This is a meaningful award for me. After more than four decades navigating this ever-evolving and always uncertain field, I can think of no greater achievement than to be recognized by one’s peers.”