Arbor House was an independent publishing house founded by Donald Fine in 1969. Specializing in hardcover publications, Arbor House published works by Hortense Calisher, Ken Follett, Cynthia Freeman, Elmore Leonard and Irwin Shaw before being acquired by the Hearst Corporation in 1979 to move into paperback publishing.[1] Arbor House became an imprint of William Morrow & Company in 1988.[2]

Arbor House
StatusDefunct
Founded1969
FounderDonald Fine
Defunct1988 Edit this on Wikidata
SuccessorWilliam Morrow & Company
Country of originUnited States

History

edit

Publisher Donald Fine founded Arbor House in Westminster, Maryland in 1969, using a $5,000 loan.[3] Fine was vice president of Dell Publishing and a co-founder of Delacorte Press, before starting his own business.[3] Arbor House was acquired by the Hearst Corporation in 1978 for $1.5 million.[3] Industry officials had previously speculated that Arbor House would merge with William Morrow & Company, another company subsequently acquired by the Hearst Corporation, unless it published a number of best-selling books. Arbor House published Elmore Leonard's Bandits and Sydney Biddle Barrows' The Mayflower Madam, which were bestsellers, but in January 1987, Arbor House reduced its publishing list from 70 books per annum to approximately 40 books.[2]

In June 1987, it was announced that Arbor House would become an imprint of William Morrow & Company from January 1988. Arbor House's employees transferred to William Morrow & Company.[2]

Works published

edit

Notable works and authors published by Arbor House include:

Anthologies published

edit

Notable anthologies and editors published by Arbor House include:

  • The Arbor House Celebrity Book of Horror Stories, editors Martin H. Greenberg and Charles G. Waugh (1982)
  • The Arbor House Necropolis - Voodoo! Mummy! Ghoul!, editor Bill Pronzini (1981)
  • The Arbor House Treasury of Horror and the Supernatural, editors Martin H. Greenberg, Barry N. Malzberg, and Bill Pronzini (1982)
  • Specter! A Chrestomathy of Spookery, editor Bill Pronzini (1982)
  • The Arbor House Treasury of Modern Science Fiction, editors Robert Silverberg and Martin H. Greenberg (1980)
  • The Arbor House Treasury of Great Science Fiction Short Novels, editors Robert Silverberg and Martin H. Greenberg (1980)
  • The Arbor House Treasury of Science Fiction Masterpieces, editors Robert Silverberg and Martin H. Greenberg (1983)

References

edit
  1. ^ Dudar, Helen (1985-09-16). "An attorney turns to fiction". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
  2. ^ a b c McDowell, Edwin (1987-06-03). "Arbor to become a Morrow imprint". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
  3. ^ a b c Smith, Dinitia (1997-08-16). "Donald Fine, 75, publisher of suspenseful best sellers". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
  4. ^ Chace, James (1985-04-07). "How America 'lost the peace'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
  5. ^ Bowers, John (1986-06-15). "Son of a sad sack". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
  6. ^ McDowell, Edwin (1986-03-26). "Book set on Sindona, Italian banker". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-10.