Our History

Family-Owned for Three Generations

Gumdrop Books™ was founded by Harold and Gail Fitzgerald in 1975 by selling remainder books from a small four room house in Bethany, Missouri. The company consisted of three full-time employees and five sales representatives. We quickly grew, and so did our reputation. We moved our office and warehouse to another building located in downtown Bethany in order to accommodate our expanding business. Over the next half century, Gumdrop Books grew from a small library book jobber to an international library book distribution company.


Who We Are Today

We are passionately committed to helping educators pave a pathway from curiosity to discovery by connecting them with the very best learning resources – to help lay the foundation for children and young adults to discover, learn, and grow.

Gumdrop Books prides itself on delivering unparalleled product knowledge and customer service to schools and public libraries. By working with educators worldwide for nearly 50 years, we save them valuable time with our onsite or virtual presentations and convenient ordering options.

As a major worldwide supplier and innovator in the industry, we execute and live by our motto every day...Exceptional Service, Unconditionally Guaranteed!


Personalized Service

When you buy from Gumdrop Books™, you have a dedicated Educational Consultant who knows our products and services and will be happy to assist you with your needs. When you make an appointment, our consultant will sit down with you on site or virtually, go over your library needs, note your preferences and do what it takes to make sure your order is exactly what you want.


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 800.821.7199
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