Ruth Gottstein, publisher Volcano Press, and her son Adam Gottstein, associate publisher, are introducing five books this year. Photo by: Marcia Oxford Volcano Press books range from those focusing on women's issues and domestic violence to children's books and several reflecting Gold Country history. Photo by: Marcia Oxford

Volcano Press publisher Ruth Gottstein had a revelation at one point when she was director of Glide Publications in San Francisco.

Gottstein was offered a manuscript from England titled" Scream Quietly or The Neighbors Will Hear." She realized unequivocally that the book, which dealt with domestic violence, was needed in the United States. A member of the then-Governor's Commission on Crime agreed to create "Battered Wives," the first book on the subject published under the United States. That was 1976, and she still receives requests for reprints of a poignant but graphic letter that appears in "Battered Wives."

Since then Gottstein has been in the vanguard of publishing books which address the issues of domestic violence, child abuse and women's issues. Along the way, her company has also published award-winning children's books as well as several books of Gold Country history.

The press' newest book, which Ruth and Adam Gottstein, associate publisher, produced is a compendium of 95 authors, all experts in their fields, and titled "Child Abuse and Neglect: Guidelines for Identification, Assessment, and Case Management." Co-editors are Marilyn Peterson and Michael Durfee, M.D.

In her Publisher's Note, Gottstein notes a special web page on the Volcano Press Web site www.volcanopress.com by which the contributing authors can update and share new developments in the fields of medicine, law, technology, forensics and investigative technique.

For both Gottsteins, quick release of the book was mandatory. Gottstein wrote in her Publisher's Note: "Our mantra became 'Move fast on printing - each day might save the life of a child." Book jacket acclaim includes praise from specialists in the field, among them Dr. Robert M. Reece, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, Tufts University School of Medicine. Reece considers the guidelines "will be of great assistance to all professionals involved in the epidemic of child victimization." On release this month, the book will be marketed through the Volcano Press database, as well as Child and Adolescent Abuse Resource and Evaluation based at University of California, Davis Children's Hospital.

The Gottsteins will also take this and other VP publications to the World Congress on Family Violence, set June 21-25 in Prague. The World Health Organization is one of the conference sponsors.The pair will also represent their publishing house at major conferences in San Diego and Sacramento.

Since 1984, when Gottstein moved to Volcano, she has consistently gathered top resources to provide their expertise on specific areas reflected in her catalog. A major seller, she said, has been "Learning to Live Without Violence." "It's essentially a handbook for men who go into counseling, frequently mandatory counseling, in abuse situations," Ruth said. The book has been translated into Spanish and a Japanese edition has just been released. Volcano Press also published the first book in the U.S. on menstruation, titled "Menopause, Naturally" and another first, "Period" for girls.

Adam entered the business, in part, as a result of six-artery bypass surgery in September 2001. He had been in construction with his brother Dan, but after recovering from surgery, Adam's wife Meg put her foot down on his construction work. "Living and working in Volcano was my goal and I started thinking how I could fit into Volcano Press," he said. He started doing basic data entry work for Volcano Press, then quickly segued into marketing Women's and Children's Support Resources (www.wcsr.org., a 501(c) 3 foundation. Volcano Press partners with WCSR to provide books for women's shelters around the country. "I wear as many hats in this company as are available," Adam said. "You have no idea how daunting it was assembling the child abuse manuscripts from 95 authors and then obtaining the permissions to print. Most of the writers are doctors, so it's not like contacting an author sitting in a cottage.

"Everything I've done to date has been training for publishing," Adam continued. "It's a hodge podge of many years in my family's dry cleaning business in San Francisco, doing children's entertainment, sales and marketing in the technology world. I'm happily married to a dynamic woman (Meg is an administrative law judge for the Public Utility Commission) and we have a daughter. We're just trying to get out of Jenny's way." Jenny, a senior at Amador High School, is involved in numerous school and community activities and will attend Barnard College in New York beginning this fall.

Adam is engagingly enthusiastic about his new-found career, talking excitedly about the company's almost simultaneous production of five new books this year. In addition to the book on child abuse, VP will publish a charming sequel to the award-winning children's book "Berchick." The new book is called"Long Johns for a Small Chicken." Another title, "Testifying Under Oath: How to be an Effective Witness," is written by a retired attorney who has also served as a judge. A "key book for us," Adam said, is "Family and Friends' Guide to Domestic Violence: What to do When Someone you Love is being Abused." "There is a huge community of people surrounding the perpetrator and the victim of a violent relationship," he said. "I think this will have broad mass appeal." Two other forthcoming books are "The Women We Become: Myths, Folktales, and Stories About Growing Older" to be accompanied by a workbook, and "The Ghost Towns of Amador: A Romantic History." A reprint of a limited edition published in 1967, the book conjures up many towns in our county which have disappeared over time. The VP edition will contain illustrations by Sutter Creek artist Robert Richards.

For Ruth, Volcano Press represents personal and professional fulfillment "The wonderful combination of living in Amador County and yet being connected to the rest of the world enables me to continue doing what I do with enthusiasm, even though I'm 80 years old."

For more information, visist www.volcanopress.com or call 296-4995.