Tag: Mid 1900s

Social Change: Civil Rights

Beginning with This Is My Story (1937), Harper & Brothers published many works by Eleanor Roosevelt that promoted civil rights and the need for government action, including This I Remember (1949), On My Own (1958), and Tomorrow Is Now (1963). More

Letter from E. B. White regarding Stuart Little

B. White (Andy) writes to his editor Eugene Saxton (Gene), presenting his manuscript for Stuart Little... More

Original cover artwork for a 1965 edition of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

This original illustration by Italian artist Giorgio de Gasperi was used as cover art for a 1965 edition of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe published by Collins in the U.K. More

The Giving Tree

Poignant, game-changing picture book for readers of all ages that has been a favorite for generations. More

Letter from Stella Miles Franklin submitting her novel My Brilliant Career

Stella Miles Franklin submitted this letter along with the manuscript of her first novel, My Brilliant Career, to Angus & Robertson in Australia, in March 1899, when she was just nineteen years old. More

Flat Stanley

This series celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2014 and has sold more than one million copies. More

Employees in the Collins Canada mailroom, circa 1940s

Collins Canada employees working in the general office during the 1940s More

To Kill a Mockingbird

Much-loved Pulitzer Prize–winning classic, voted by librarians across America as the best novel of the twentieth century. More

Little Bear

The very first I Can Read! book has sold more than one million copies. More

Profiles in Courage

Pulitzer Prize winner that helped propel the young senator to the White House. More

1957: The I Can Read! series launches with the publication of Little Bear…

The I Can Read! series launches with the publication of Little Bear, written by Else Holmelund Minarik and illustrated by Maurice Sendak, and becomes the number one beginning reader series in the United States. More

Thomas Nelson: Growth

By 1844, Thomas Nelson’s company had grown large enough to open an office in London, under the leadership of Thomas Nelson Jr. and William Nelson. More

J. B. Lippincott

Born in 1813 in New Jersey, Joshua Ballinger Lippincott became a bookseller shortly after he moved to Philadelphia at age 14. More

Bernie and Pat Zondervan outside their Grand Rapids headquarters

The publishing house of Zondervan was launched during the Great Depression (1931) by brothers Pat and Bernie Zondervan in the spare bedroom of a Michigan farmhouse. More

1941: Avon Books is established…

Avon Books is established by New York businessman Joseph Meyers in association with Edna B. Williams. Now renowned for widely popularizing the historical romance category, the publisher originally begins with a focus on paperback reprints. More

Original artwork suggested by Syd Hoff for Danny and the Dinosaur

Illustrator Syd Hoff sent these sketches to Ursula Nordstrom, head of the U.S. Harper Children’s division, as suggestions for the now-classic Danny and the Dinosaur. More

The Once and Future King

White’s masterful retelling of the Arthurian legend. More

1962: Harper & Brothers merges with Row, Peterson & Co. to form Harper & Row…

Harper & Brothers merges with textbook publisher Row, Peterson & Co. to form Harper & Row. More

The Cat in the Hat

This iconic Dr. Seuss book is one of the bestselling children’s books of all time. More

1956: Harper & Brothers publishes Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy…

Harper & Brothers publishes Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy, which wins the Pulitzer Prize in 1957 and helps propel the young senator to the White House. More

Bread and Jam for Frances

Beloved story featured on at least two “top 100 picture books of all time” lists. More

The Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World

With more than one million copies sold worldwide, it’s the world’s largest commercially available world atlas in print. More

Employees in the Collins Canada general office, circa 1940s

Collins Canada employees working in the general office during the 1940s More

Under the Volcano

A landmark of modernism, hailed as “one of the towering novels of this century” (New York Times). More

The Kon-Tiki Expedition

This classic, inspiring tale of daring and courage has been translated into sixty-five languages. More

Ariel

Plath’s landmark poetry collection; includes “Ariel,” “Daddy,” and “Lady Lazarus.” More

Publishing Firsts: The VendAvon

Chips, cookies, sodas–and books–from a vending machine. Avon’s entertaining comic books—western, horror, romance, war, science fiction, and gangster titles, mostly—appealed to readers of all ages from 1945 through the mid-1950s. More