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Harper (publisher)

From Alfawiki
Harper
Company typeImprint
IndustryPublishing
PredecessorJ. & J. Harper; Harper & Brothers; Harper & Row
FoundedJanuary 1, 1817; 209 years ago (1817-01-01) in New York City, United States
FounderJames Harper, John Harper
FateMerged with William Collins, Sons to form HarperCollins (1990)
SuccessorHarperCollins
Headquarters
New York City
,
United States
Area served
International
ProductsBooks, periodicals (Harper's Magazine, Harper's Weekly)
OwnerNews Corporation (parent company of HarperCollins)
ParentHarperCollins
Websitewww.harpercollins.com

Harper is a prominent American publishing firm and serves as the primary imprint of the international publisher HarperCollins, with its main office located in New York City. Established in 1817 by James Harper alongside his brother John under the name J. & J. Harper, the enterprise was rebranded as Harper & Brothers in 1833 when Joseph and Fletcher Harper became partners. Starting in the 1850s, Harper produced significant periodicals such as Harper's Magazine and Harper's Weekly. Between 1962 and 1990, following a merger with Row, Peterson & Company, it operated under the name Harper & Row. After being acquired by News Corporation in 1987, it combined with the UK publisher William Collins, Sons in 1990 to create HarperCollins, although the Harper imprint has been in use since 2007.

J. & J. Harper (1817–1833)

The publishing company J. & J. Harper was launched in New York City in 1817 by printers James and John Harper. In the mid-1820s, their brothers Joseph Wesley and Fletcher became part of the business.

Harper & Brothers (1833–1962)

In 1833, the firm adopted the name "Harper & Brothers" and was based at 331 Pearl Street in Lower Manhattan, close to the Brooklyn Bridge entrance.

Harper introduced Harper's New Monthly Magazine in 1850, followed by Harper's Weekly in 1857, Harper's Bazar in 1867, and Harper's Young People in 1879.

George B. M. Harvey assumed the presidency of the company in 1899.

The publication Harper's New Monthly Magazine eventually developed into the current Harper's Magazine. By 1916, Harper's Weekly merged with The Independent, which later joined with The Outlook. In 1913, William Randolph Hearst purchased Harper's Bazar, which is now published as Bazaar by Hearst Corporation.

Cass Canfield became part of Harper & Brothers in 1924 and maintained leadership roles until his passing in 1986. Editor Eugene F. Saxton joined a year later, overseeing works from authors such as Edna St. Vincent Millay and Thornton Wilder. Edward Aswell took on the editor-in-chief position in 1935; he notably acquired Thomas Wolfe from Scribner’s and edited Wolfe’s posthumous novels including The Web and the Rock, You Can't Go Home Again, and The Hills Beyond.

Harper & Row (1962–1990)

The merger between Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company in 1962 led to the formation of Harper & Row. Its religious publishing branch relocated to San Francisco in 1977, becoming known as Harper San Francisco (currently HarperOne). During the 1970s, Harper & Row expanded by acquiring Thomas Y. Crowell Co. and J. B. Lippincott & Co., integrating Crowell and Lippincott’s trade divisions into its own operations by 1980. In 1988, it further broadened its religious publishing reach by purchasing Zondervan, along with its subsidiary Marshall Pickering.

HarperCollins (1990–present)

Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation (now News Corp) purchased Harper & Row in 1987 and subsequently acquired British publisher William Collins, Sons in 1990. These acquisitions united the American Harper & Row with the UK-based Collins to establish HarperCollins, merging their distinctive emblems—the torch and fountain. Since then, HarperCollins has grown internationally through additional acquisitions. The company adopted the Harper imprint over HarperCollins starting in 2007.

Paperbacks

After News Corporation acquired Harper & Row, HarperCollins introduced a mass-market paperback series to complement its existing trade paperback line, Perennial. This collection was initially known as Harper Paperbacks from 1990 until 2000, then rebranded as HarperTorch between 2000 and 2006, and has been marketed simply as Harper since 2007.

Notable authors and illustrators

See also

Further reading

  • Barnes, James J. "Edward Lytton Bulwer and the Publishing Firm of Harper & Brothers". American Literature (1966): 35–48. .
  • D'Amato, Martina. Template:"'The Harper Establishment'; or, How a New York Publishing Giant Was Made", Visualizing 19th Century New York.
  • Eugene Exman. The brothers Harper: a unique publishing partnership and its impact upon the cultural life of America from 1817 to 1853 (Harper & Row, 1965)
  • Mellman, John A. (2017), "The Harper Torchbooks Series: A History and Personal Assessment", publishinghistory.com.

Primary references

External links

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  2. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  3. ↑ Template:Britannica
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