Early history

The Riverside Press headquarters as it appeared in 1911 and, in the top right-hand corner, the original facility from 1852

Riverside originated in 1852 as The Riverside Press, a book printing plant in Boston, Massachusetts. Henry Houghton originally started The Riverside Press in an old Cambridge building along the banks of the Charles River. A visitor described it as "one of the model printing-offices in America".^[5] Houghton chose to employ women as well as men as compositors, a radical decision which he said was influenced by the Victoria Press in England.^[5]

Mr. Houghton, one of the proprietors of the Riverside Press, took me over that vast establishment. The composing-room is ninety feet long, the walls were adorned with engravings, the window-sills bright with flowers, embellishments said to be due to "refining feminine influence." The men and women were working side by side". – Emily Faithfull^[5]

In 1880, George Mifflin entered into a partnership with Henry Houghton and together founded and led Houghton Mifflin Company. They soon established an educational department and quickly expanded the company's educational offerings.

Modern era

Beginning with the publication of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale during World War I, Houghton Mifflin became increasingly involved in publishing standardized tests. The Riverside Publishing Company was officially established as a wholly owned subsidiary of Houghton Mifflin in 1979.

Clinical

The clinical side of Riverside's business focuses on providing research and test materials for practicing professionals.

K-12 Educational

The educational side of Riverside's business focuses on providing research and test materials for educational professionals as well as Universities with psychology programs.