George Macy (1900–1956) was an American

publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

Career

George Macy was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1900. In 1926, he founded Macy-Masius, which was sold to the

Vanguard Press The Vanguard Press (1926–1988) was a United States publishing house established with a $100,000 grant from the left wing American Fund for Public Service, better known as the Garland Fund. Throughout the 1920s, Vanguard Press issued an array o ...

in 1928. In 1929, he founded the Limited Editions Club, publishing finely illustrated books that were limited to 1500 copies and signed by the author or artist. By setting up a subscription service, Macy was able to work with a larger budget for subscribers. Artists contracted to illustrate books were given a lot of freedom and budget, but also sometimes lost his gambles. Books printed between 1925 and World War II were primarily designed by John Fass. The 1935 publication of James Joyce’s ''

Ulysses Ulysses is one form of the Roman name for Odysseus, a hero in ancient Greek literature. Ulysses may also refer to: People * Ulysses (given name), including a list of people with this name Places in the United States * Ulysses, Kansas * Ulysse ...

'' was illustrated with line drawings by

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known prima ...

, which are almost unrelated to the text. In 1935, he expanded his publishing with

The Heritage Press The Heritage Press is a trade name which has been used by multiple printers and publishers. Most notably, "The Heritage Press" was an imprint of George Macy Companies, Ltd., from 1937 to 1982. The Heritage Press reprinted classic volumes previousl ...

. Macy worked that year with

Nonesuch Press Nonesuch Press was a private press founded in 1922 in London by Francis Meynell, his second wife Vera Mendel, and their mutual friend David Garnett,Miranda Knorr"The Nonesuch Press: A Product of Determination" An Exhibit of Rare Books at the Oka ...

to rescue it from its financial difficulties. The first project was with the complete works of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

in 1938. Macy became a

Chevalier of the Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

after a 1948 display of his work. In 1952, the British Library held an exhibit of his work. He won the

AIGA medal Following is a list of AIGA medalists who have been awarded the American Institute of Graphic Arts medal. On its website, AIGA says "The medal of the AIGA, the most distinguished in the field, is awarded to individuals in recognition of their ex ...

for his work as a publisher in 1953. After Macy’s death from cancer in 1956, his wife, Helen Macy, continued the work of The Limited Editions Club and Heritage Press until 1968 when their son became head of the company.

References

External links

Finding aid to George Macy papers at Columbia University. Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macy, George 1900 births 1956 deaths American publishers (people) Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Deaths from cancer AIGA medalists