AustLit

The printing and publishing firm James Curtis was founded in Ballarat in the 1860s by James Curtis, who had previously been a partner in the firm Comb and Curtis, active in Geelong in the 1850s. The business, which also used the printing name Caxton Steam Printing Works, was located at 39 Armstrong Street, and from the mid-1880s in Market Square, in Ballarat.

James Curtis became a large, innovative printer. The business used cylinder presses in 1863, and converted to steampower around 1872, and later acquired a Crossley gas engine, said to be the first in Australia. The firm was also the first to import a 'Minerva' treadle platen press to Australia.

James Curtis published a range of general items relating to Ballarat, and music, poetry and novels, some reflecting the proprietor's interest in spiritualism. The business continued until 1922.