Abrams, formerly Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (HNA), is an American publisher of art and
illustrated books
A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The images ...
,
children's books
A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younge ...
, and stationery.
The enterprise is a subsidiary of the French publisher
La Martinière Groupe
La Martinière Groupe is a French publishing house. It was formed in 1994. Subsidiaries include France's Éditions du Seuil and the United States' Abrams Books. In 2018, La Martinière was acquired by Média-Participations.
See also
* Books in ...
. Run by President and CEO Michael Jacobs, Abrams publishes and distributes approximately 250 titles annually and has more than 3,000 titles in print.
Abrams also distributes publications for the
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...
,
Tate
Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...
, Vendome Press (in North America), Booth Clibborn Editions,
SelfMadeHero
SelfMadeHero is an independent publishing house which specialises in adapting works of literature, as well as producing ground-breaking original fiction in the graphic novel medium.
SelfMadeHero's books are distributed in the U.S. by Abrams Bo ...
,
MoMA Children's Books, and 5 Continents.
History
Founded by Harry N. Abrams in 1949, Abrams was the first company in the United States to specialize in the creation and distribution of art books.
[Harry N. Abrams interview](_blank)
1972 March 14, Archives of American Art
The Archives of American Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the visual arts in the United States. More than 20 million items of original material are housed in the Archives' research centers in Washingt ...
, Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
["TIMES MIRROR TO SELL HARRY N. ABRAMS UNIT"](_blank)
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', March 11, 1997 Times Mirror Company
The Times Mirror Company was an American newspaper and print media publisher from 1884 until 2000.
History
It had its roots in the Mirror Printing and Binding House, a commercial printing company founded in 1873, and the ''Los Angeles Times'' ...
acquired the company in 1966 and Harry Abrams retired in 1977. For many years, the company was under the direction of
Paul Gottlieb (publisher)
William Paul Gottlieb (January 28, 1917 – April 23, 2006) was an American photographer and newspaper columnist who is best known for his classic photographs of the leading performers of the Golden Age of American jazz in the 1930s and 1940s. Go ...
until January 2001, eighteen months before his death. Abrams was acquired by
La Martinière Groupe
La Martinière Groupe is a French publishing house. It was formed in 1994. Subsidiaries include France's Éditions du Seuil and the United States' Abrams Books. In 2018, La Martinière was acquired by Média-Participations.
See also
* Books in ...
in 1997.
La Martinière was acquired by
Média-Participations
Média-Participations is a French media concern, controlled by a Belgian holding concern, specialized in Franco-Belgian comics. It has some forty publishers in its portfolio, including Dupuis, Dargaud, Le Lombard, Fleurus, La Martinière, and ...
in 2018.
In 2018, Abrams acquired
The Overlook Press
The Overlook Press is an American publishing house based in New York, New York, that considers itself "a home for distinguished books that had been 'overlooked' by larger houses".
History and operations
It was formed in 1971 by Peter Mayer, wh ...
. In 2020, Abrams acquired Cameron + Company.
Imprints
Abrams Books
Abrams publishes illustrated books on the subjects of art, photography, performing arts, fashion,
interior design
Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. An interior designer is someone who plans, researches, coordi ...
, and nature and science. Titles published by Abrams include ''
The Art of Walt Disney
''The Art of Walt Disney: From Mickey Mouse to the Magic Kingdoms'' (also known as ''The Art of Walt Disney'') is a book by Christopher Finch, chronicling the artistic achievements and history of Walt Disney and The Walt Disney Company. The origin ...
'', ''
Earth from Above
Earth from Above is a United Nations-supported ecological project conceived and led by Yann Arthus-Bertrand. The project includes a photo essay-style collection of aerial photography produced by Arthus-Bertrand, in which the photographer captured ...
'', ''
Louis Vuitton: The Birth of Modern Luxury'', ''
The Diary of Frida Kahlo'', ''
Yoshitomo Nara: Nobody's Fool'', ''
The Wes Anderson Collection'', ''The Selby Is in Your Place'', ''
Abrams Discoveries Abrams may refer to:
* Abrams (surname), a list of notable people with the surname
* '' Abrams v. United States'', 250 U.S. 616 (1919), U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding free speech during times of war
* M1 Abrams, main battle tank
* Abrams, ...
'', and ''Vanity Fair 100 Years'' (about the two U.S. magazines:
1913-1936 and
from 1983 onward).
Abrams Appleseed
Founded in 2012, Abrams Appleseed publishes board books, novelty books, and picture books for children up to age 5. The imprint's list of titles includes ''
Alphablocks
''Alphablocks'' is a British animated television programme for preschoolers that debuted on CBeebies on 25 January 2010. ''Alphablocks'' is designed to teach preschoolers to spell with the use of four families of animated blocks known as Alp ...
'', ''Hippopposites'', ''Pantone: Color'', ''In My Heart'', and the ''Mini Myths'' series.
Abrams Books for Young Readers
Abrams Books for Young Readers publishes picture books and illustrated nonfiction for preschool through middle-grade readers. The imprint's list of titles includes ''Library Mouse'', ''Rosie Revere, Engineer'', ''I Am Yoga'', ''Animalia'', ''
Babar's Museum of Art
''Babar's Museum of Art'' (or ''Babar's Gallery'') was the collaborative product of Laurent de Brunhoff (illustrations) and his wife Phyllis Rose de Brunhoff (text) for the Babar the Elephant series. The aim was to introduce different notable work ...
'', ''Separate Is Never Equal'', ''Maritcha'', and ''365 Penguins''.
Abrams ComicArts
Abrams ComicArts was founded in 2009 under the editorial direction of Charles Kochman and publishes
graphic novels
A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
and illustrated books about the creators and the
history of comics
The history of comics has followed different paths in different parts of the world. It can be traced back to early precursors such as Trajan's Column, in Rome, Egyptian hieroglyphs and the Bayeux Tapestry.
Early narratives in art
Examples o ...
art, animation, and cartoons. Its titles include ''Mom's Cancer'', ''Kirby: King of Comics'', ''My Friend Dahmer'', ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...
Futurama Crossover Crisis'', ''R. Crumb's Heroes of Blues, Jazz & Country'', and ''The Art of
Rube Goldberg''. In the 2010s, it also began publishing volumes compiling reproduction of vintage
trading card series for franchises such as ''
Star Trek''.
Abrams Image
Abrams Image was launched in 2006 and publishes illustrated and non-illustrated books on music, humor, fashion, and popular culture. The imprint's titles include ''Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar'', ''
Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste & Style'','' Understand Rap'', ''CBGB & OMFUG'', ''The
Steampunk Bible'', ''Paris Street Style'', ''Sh*tty Mom'', and ''Cupcakes and Cashmere''.
Abrams Noterie
Abrams Noterie is a gift and stationery imprint that collaborates with authors, artists, and brands to make paper goods. Recent publications include ''Paris Street Style'', ''
The Kings County Distillery: Whiskey Notes'', ''Hyperbole and a Half'', ''Daily Dishonesty'', and ''The Forest Feast'' gift and stationery collections.
Abrams Press
Abrams Press publishes narrative non-fiction works relating to arts and culture, food, style, design, history, current events, science, technology, memoir, and biography. Titles include ''
Grocery: The Buying and Selling of Food in America'', ''Unprotected'' by
Billy Porter, ''Soulless: The Case Against R. Kelly'' by
Jim DeRogatis
James Peter DeRogatis (born September 2, 1964) is an American music critic and co-host of '' Sound Opinions''. DeRogatis has written articles for magazines such as ''Rolling Stone'', '' Spin'', '' Guitar World'' and ''Modern Drummer'', and for ...
, ''The Sopranos Sessions'' by
Matt Zoller Seitz
Matt Zoller Seitz (born December 26, 1968) is an American film and television critic, author and film-maker.
Career
Matt Zoller Seitz is editor-at-large at RogerEbert.com, and the television critic for '' New York'' magazine and Vulture.com, as ...
and
Alan Sepinwall
Alan Sepinwall (born October 19, 1973) is an American television reviewer and writer. He spent 14 years as a columnist with ''The Star-Ledger'' in Newark until leaving the newspaper in 2010 to work for the entertainment news website HitFix. He ...
.
Amulet Books
Amulet Books publishes novels, graphic novels, and nonfiction for young adults and middle-grade readers. The imprint has published many bestselling and award-winning books, including
Jeff Kinney
Jeffrey Patrick Kinney (born February 19, 1971) is an American author and cartoonist, best known for the children's book series ''Diary of a Wimpy Kid''. He also created the child-oriented website '' Poptropica''.
Early life
Jeff Kinney was bor ...
's
''Diary of a Wimpy Kid'' series,
Resorting to humor, and petty larceny
''The Boston Globe'', 20 May 2007 '' Heart of a Samurai'', Cece Bell
Cecelia Carolina Bell (born December 26, 1970) is an American freelance author and illustrator born in Richmond, Virginia. She attended the Paier College of Art as an art major and went on to get a graduate degree in illustration and design at ...
's ''El Deafo
''El Deafo'' is a graphic novel written and illustrated by Cece Bell. The book is a loose autobiographical account of Bell's childhood and life with her deafness. The characters in the book are all anthropomorphic bunnies. Cece Bell, in an int ...
'', Tom Angleberger
Tom Angleberger is an American children's writer, best known for the ''Origami Yoda'' series. As of March 2013, more than 3.3 million copies of his books had been sold worldwide. Angleberger lives in Virginia with his wife, Cece Bell, who is al ...
's '' Origami Yoda'' series, and Michael Buckley's ''Sisters Grimm'' and ''NERDS'' series.
Amulet Paperbacks
Amulet Paperbacks publishes original titles as well as reprints. Books published by Amulet Paperbacks include Lauren Myracle
Lauren Myracle (born May 15, 1969) is an American writer of young adult fiction. She has written many novels, including the three best-selling "IM" books, ''ttyl'', ''ttfn'' and ''l8r, g8r''. Her book ''Thirteen Plus One'' was released May 4, 20 ...
's ''Internet Girls'' series, A. G. Howard's ''Splintered series'', Jesse Andrews
Jesse Andrews (born September 15, 1982) is an American novelist and screenwriter. He co-wrote the screenplay for ''Luca'' and wrote both the novel and the feature-film adaptation of ''Me and Earl and the Dying Girl''.
Personal life
Andrews ...
's ''Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
''Me and Earl and the Dying Girl'' is a 2012 debut novel written by Jesse Andrews. The novel was released in hardcover by Amulet Books on March 1, 2012, and in paperback on May 7, 2013.
Plot
Greg Gaines is a senior at Benson High School i ...
'', and Jonathan Auxier
Jonathan Auxier (born August 10, 1981) is a Canadian-born writer of young adult literature.
Biography
Originally from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, he currently lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US with his wife. He earned a BA from Tri ...
's ''The Night Gardener''.
Defunct imprints
Stewart, Tabori & Chang
Stewart, Tabori & Chang (ST&C), a publisher of cookbooks and craft titles, was purchased by Abrams in the late 1990s. In what CEO Michael Jacobs described in 2016 as a “unification strategy", all reprinted ST&C titles will appear under Abrams other existing imprints. In addition, a new corporate logo was rolled out simultaneously.
References
{{Authority control
Publishing companies of the United States
Book publishing companies based in New York (state)
Publishing companies established in 1949
Companies based in New York City
Visual arts publishing companies
Abrams Books books