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Doubleday (publisher)

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"Country Life Press" redirects here. For the Long Island Rail Road station, seeCountry Life Press station.
This article is about the U.S. publisher. For other divisions of Penguin Random House, seeDoubleday (disambiguation).

Doubledayis an American publishing company. It was founded as theDoubleday & McClure Companyin 1897. By 1947, it was the largest book publisher in the United States. It published the work of mostly U.S. authors under a number of imprints and distributed them through its own stores.

Doubleday
Parent companyKnopf Doubleday Publishing Group (Penguin Random House)
StatusImprint
Founded1897;127 years ago(1897)
Founders
Country of originUnited States
Headquarters location1745Broadway,New York City,U.S.
Publication typesBooks
Official websitedoubledaypublisher

In 2009, Doubleday merged withKnopf Publishing Groupto form theKnopf Doubleday Publishing Group,which, as of 2018, is part ofPenguin Random House.

History

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19th century

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The firm was founded as Doubleday & McClure Company in 1897 byFrank Nelson Doubledayin partnership withSamuel Sidney McClure.[1]McClure had founded the first U.S. newspaper syndicate in 1884 (McClure Syndicate) and the monthlyMcClure's Magazinein 1893. One of their firstbestsellerswasThe Day's WorkbyRudyard Kipling,a short story collection that Macmillan published in Britain late in 1898. Other authors published by the company in its early years includeW. Somerset MaughamandJoseph Conrad.[when?]Theodore Roosevelt Jr.later served as a vice-president of the company.[when?]

20th century

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The partnership ended in 1900. McClure andJohn Sanborn Phillips,the co-founder of his magazine, formed McClure, Phillips and Company. Doubleday andWalter Hines PageformedDoubleday, Page & Company.

The bestselling novels ofThomas Dixon Jr.,includingThe Leopard's Spots,1902 andThe Clansman,1905, "changed a struggling publishing venture into the empire that Doubleday was to become". At the same time, Doubleday helped Dixon launch his writing career. Page and Dixon were both from North Carolina and had known each other inRaleigh, North Carolina.[2]

In 1910, Doubleday, Page & Co. moved its operations, which included a train station, toGarden City, New York,onLong Island.[3]The company purchased much of the land on the east side of Franklin Avenue, and estate homes were built for many of its executives on Fourth Street. Co-founder and Garden City resident Walter Hines Page was namedAmbassador to Great Britainin 1916. In 1922, the company founded its juvenile department, the second in the nation, withMay Masseeas head.[4]The founder's sonNelson Doubledayjoined the firm in the same year.

In 1927, Doubleday, Page merged with theGeorge H. Doran Company,creatingDoubleday, Doran,then the largest publishing business in the English-speaking world.[citation needed]Doubleday Canada Limitedlaunches in the thirties.[5]In 1944, Doubleday, Doran acquired the Philadelphia medical publisher Blakiston.[6]

In 1946, the company becameDoubleday and Company.Nelson Doubledayresigned as president, but continued as chairman of the board until his death on January 11, 1949.Douglas Blacktook over as president from 1946 to 1963. His tenure attracted numerous public figures to the publishing company, includingDwight D. Eisenhower,Harry S. Truman,Douglas MacArthur,Robert Taft,andAndré Malraux.He was a strong opponent of censorship and felt that it was his responsibility to the American public to publish controversial titles. Black also expanded Doubleday's publishing program by opening two new printing plants; creating a new line of quality paperbacks, under the imprint Anchor Books; founding mail-order subscription book clubs in its book club division; opening 30 new retail stores in 25 cities; and opening new editorial offices in San Francisco, London, and Paris.[7][8]

By 1947, Doubleday was the largest publisher in the United States, with annual sales of more than 30 million books.[citation needed]In 1954, Doubleday sold Blakiston toMcGraw-Hill.[9]

Doubleday's son-in-lawJohn Sargentwas president and CEO from 1963 to 1978. In 1964, Doubleday acquired the educational publisher Laidlaw.[10]

In 1967, the company purchased theDallas-based Trigg-Vaughn group of radio and TV stations to create Doubleday Broadcasting.[11]After expanding during the 1970s and 1980s, Doubleday sold the broadcasting division in 1986.[12]

Nelson Doubleday Jr.succeeded John Sargent as president and CEO from 1978 to 1985.

In 1976, Doubleday bought paperback publisherDell Publishing.[13]In 1980, the company bought theNew York Metsbaseball team.[11]The Mets defeated theBoston Red Soxto win the World Series in1986in a seven-game contest. In 1981, Doubleday promoted James R. McLaughlin to the presidency of Dell Publishing.[14]

Sales slowed in the early 1980s and earnings fell precipitously. Doubleday Jr., brought James McLaughlin over (from subsidiary Dell) to help streamline and downsize. McLaughlin went on to succeed Doubleday Jr., as president and CEO, with Doubleday Jr., becoming chairman of the board.[15]

By 1986, the firm was a fully integrated international communications company, doing trade publishing, mass-market paperback publishing, book clubs, and book manufacturing, together with ventures in broadcasting and advertising. The company had offices in London and Paris and wholly owned subsidiaries inCanada,Australia, and New Zealand, with joint ventures in the UK and the Netherlands. Nelson Doubleday Jr. sold the publishing company toBertelsmannin 1986 for a reported $475 million, with James R. McLaughlin resigning on December 17, 1986.[16][17]After the purchase, Bertelsmann sold Laidlaw toMacmillan Inc.[18]

The sale of Doubleday to Bertelsmann did not include the Mets, which Nelson Doubleday and minority ownerFred Wilponhad purchased from Doubleday & Company for $85 million. In2002,Doubleday sold his stake in the Mets to Wilpon for $135 million after a feud over the monetary value of the team.[19][20]

In 1988, portions of the firm became part of theBantamDoubledayDell PublishingGroup, which in turn became a division ofRandom Housein 1998.[21]Doubleday was combined in a group withBroadway Books,Anchor Books was combined withVintage Booksas a division ofKnopf,while Bantam and Dell became a separate group.[22]

In 1996, Doubleday founded the Christian publisher WaterBrook Press.[23]

21st century

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WaterBrook acquired Harold Shaw Publishers in 2000 and Multnomah Publishers in 2006.[24][25]

In late 2008 and early 2009, Doubledayimprintmerged withKnopf Publishing Groupto form the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.[26]In October 2008, Doubleday laid off about 10% of its staff (16 people) across all departments.[27]That December, the Broadway, Doubleday Business, Doubleday Religion, and WaterBrook Multnomah divisions were moved toCrown Publishing Group,a subsidiary of Random House inManhattan.[28]

Presidents

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Notable editors

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Notable authors

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Notable employees

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Imprints

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The following areimprintsthat exist or have existed under Doubleday:

  • Anchor Books (sometime as Anchor Doubleday), produced qualitypaperbacksfor bookstores; named for theanchorthat (along with adolphin) forms Doubleday'scolophon;now part of theKnopfPublishing Group'sVintage Anchorunit
  • Best in Children's Books, a mail-order collection of original children's short story anthologies
  • Blakiston Co., medical and scientific books. Sold in 1947 toMcGraw-Hill
  • Blue Ribbon Books, purchased in 1939 fromReynal & Hitchcock
  • Book League of America,contemporary andworld classic literature,purchased in 1936
  • The Crime Club,active through much of the 20th century, publishing mystery and detective novels, most notably theFu Manchuseries bySax Rohmerand theSaintseries byLeslie Charteris
  • Garden City Publishing Co., originally established as a separate firm by Nelson Doubleday, Garden City's books were primarily reprints of books first offered by Doubleday, printed from the original plates but on less expensive paper. It was named for the villageof the same nameonLong Islandin which Doubleday was long headquartered (until 1986), and which still housesBookspan,the direct marketer of general interest and specialty book clubs run byDoubleday DirectandBook of the Month Clubholdings.
  • Image Books, Catholic Books, moved toCrown Publishing Group
  • Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, a literary imprint established in 1990. Talese, the imprint's publisher and editorial director, is a senior vice president of Doubleday.
  • Permabooks,paperback division established in 1948
  • Rimington & Hooper, high-quality limited editions
  • Triangle Books, purchased in 1939 from Reynal & Hitchcock; sold inexpensive books through chain stores
  • Zenith Books, aimed at African-American youths

Bookstores

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References

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  1. ^"History".randomhouse.Archivedfrom the original on July 13, 2013.RetrievedNovember 18,2009.
  2. ^Rohauer, Raymond (1984). "Postscript". In Crewe, Karen (ed.).Southern Horizons. The Autobiography of Thomas Dixon.Alexandria, Virginia: IWV Publishing. p. 325.OCLC11398740.
  3. ^"Newportvintagebooks".Archivedfrom the original on March 4, 2016.RetrievedDecember 15,2016.
  4. ^Hodowanec, George V., ed. (1979)."THE MAY MASSEE COLLECTION"(PDF).Emporia State University. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on February 12, 2019.RetrievedOctober 30,2018.
  5. ^"Company history".Penguin Random House.Archivedfrom the original on May 18, 2014.RetrievedApril 8,2021.
  6. ^"Books -- Authors".The New York Times.June 2, 1944.ISSN0362-4331.Archivedfrom the original on November 10, 2019.RetrievedNovember 10,2019.
  7. ^"Daphne Du Maurier Letters to Douglas Black (C0858) -- Daphne Du Maurier Letters to Douglas Black".diglib.princeton.edu. Archived fromthe originalon June 11, 2011.RetrievedDecember 15,2016.
  8. ^"DOUGLAS M. BLACK, 81; EX-DOUBLEDAY CHIEF; A Founder of Publishers Group Was Strong Foe of Censorship Life Trustee of Columbia".The New York Times.May 17, 1977.Archivedfrom the original on October 4, 2023.RetrievedOctober 31,2018.
  9. ^"BLAKISTON BOOKS SOLD; McGraw-Hill Acquires Medical Subsidiary of Doubleday".The New York Times.October 18, 1954.ISSN0362-4331.Archivedfrom the original on January 26, 2021.RetrievedNovember 10,2019.
  10. ^"DOUBLEDAY BUYS TEXTBOOK HOUSE; Publisher Acquires Laidlaw Brothers of Illinois".The New York Times.February 17, 1964.ISSN0362-4331.Archivedfrom the original on November 10, 2019.RetrievedNovember 10,2019.
  11. ^abTivnan, Edward (February 7, 1983)."Doubleday Rocks and Rolls".Newyorkmetro.New York Media, LLC: 55–.ISSN0028-7369.Archivedfrom the original on October 4, 2023.RetrievedJune 24,2018.
  12. ^Freeman, Kim (March 1, 1986)."Doubleday Dumping Its Last 3 Outlets".Billboard.Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 10–.ISSN0006-2510.Archivedfrom the original on October 4, 2023.RetrievedJune 24,2018.
  13. ^Krebs, Albin (April 30, 1976)."It's Official: Doubleday Acquires Dell".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Archivedfrom the original on October 14, 2019.RetrievedOctober 14,2019.
  14. ^Sloane, Leonard (March 11, 1981)."BUSINESS PEOPLE; Doubleday Appoints New Dell President".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on November 20, 2021.RetrievedFebruary 4,2021.
  15. ^Grimes, William(June 17, 2015)."Nelson Doubleday Jr., Publisher and Mets Buyer, Dies at 81".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on June 18, 2015.RetrievedJune 18,2015.
  16. ^abMcDowell, Edwin (December 18, 1986)."German Firm Completes Acquisition of Doubleday".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on April 23, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 7,2017.
  17. ^Mcdowell, Edwin (October 1, 1986)."PENGUIN AGREES TO BUY NEW AMERICAN LIBRARY".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Archivedfrom the original on April 23, 2016.RetrievedApril 12,2016.
  18. ^Storch, Charles (June 5, 1987)."47% OF STAFF AT LAIDLAW GET THE AX".chicagotribune.Archivedfrom the original on November 10, 2019.RetrievedNovember 10,2019.
  19. ^Sandomir, Richard (August 14, 2002)."Baseball; Owners Of Mets Make A Deal".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on September 4, 2009.RetrievedMarch 24,2010.
  20. ^Grimes, William (June 18, 2015)."Nelson Doubleday Jr., Publisher Who Owned the Mets, Dies at 81".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on October 31, 2018.RetrievedOctober 31,2018.
  21. ^"West German-based firm buys Doubleday and Co".Tri City Herald.Associated Press. September 28, 1986.RetrievedMarch 24,2010.[permanent dead link‍]
  22. ^Carvajal, Doreen (May 28, 1999)."Bertelsmann Is Reorganizing Random House".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Archivedfrom the original on October 15, 2019.RetrievedOctober 14,2019.
  23. ^Milliot, Jim (November 19, 2001)."New President, Publisher For WaterBrook Press".PublishersWeekly.Archivedfrom the original on October 14, 2019.RetrievedOctober 14,2019.
  24. ^"PW: RH Acquires Harold Shaw".PublishersWeekly.January 31, 2000.Archivedfrom the original on October 14, 2019.RetrievedOctober 14,2019.
  25. ^Interface, Saxotech (August 3, 2006)."Multnomah Publishers sold to Random House".The Bulletin.Archivedfrom the original on October 14, 2019.RetrievedOctober 14,2019.
  26. ^"Shakeups hit Random House, other publishers | Crain's New York Business".crainsnewyork. December 3, 2008.RetrievedDecember 15,2016.
  27. ^Rich, Motoko (October 28, 2008)."Doubleday Publishing Lays Off 10% of Its Employees".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Archivedfrom the original on November 7, 2020.RetrievedMay 27,2018.
  28. ^Rich, Motoko (December 3, 2008)."Major Reorganization at Random House".ArtsBeat.Archivedfrom the original on October 14, 2019.RetrievedOctober 14,2019.
  29. ^"The Stoic".Archivedfrom the original on April 8, 2022.RetrievedJuly 18,2018.
  30. ^"The Evening News".Publishers Weekly.March 1990.Archivedfrom the original on April 19, 2023.RetrievedFebruary 5,2017.
  31. ^Fargnoli, A. Nicholas; Golay, Michael (2009).Critical Companion to William Faulkner.Infobase Publishing.ISBN9781438108599.
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