Grant-Hadley Enterprises was the first of three names used by an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

small press publishing house specializing in

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

titles. The company was founded in 1945 by

Donald M. Grant Donald Metcalf Grant (April 3, 1927 – August 19, 2009) was an American publisher. Biography He was born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1927 and graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1949. Grant's interest in fantasy and science ...

and Thomas G. Hadley and published one title as Grant-Hadley Enterprises. Kenneth J. Krueger joined the company in 1946 and the name was changed to The Buffalo Book Company. Later in 1946, Hadley continued the company on his own as The Hadley Publishing Co.

Grant-Hadley Enterprises

Donald M. Grant first met Thomas G. Hadley at Dana's Old Corner Bookstore in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...

in 1945. The bookstore had recently acquired the library of fellow Providence native, H. P. Lovecraft, from his estate. Grant and Hadley wanted to see if there was anything of interest. In the course of the chance meeting, they struck up a conversation about Lovecraft and decided that there should be a volume of memoirs by Providence natives who had known Lovecraft. They ended up publishing ''

Rhode Island on Lovecraft Rhode may refer to: *In Greek mythology: :*Rhodos, goddess and personification of the island of Rhodes :*Rhode, one of the fifty daughters of Danaus * ''Rhode'' (spider), a genus of spiders *Rhode (surname) *Rhode, County Offaly, an Irish town *Rh ...

'' which was successful enough to warrant a second edition.

Works published by Grant-Hadley Enterprises

* ''Rhode Island on Lovecraft'', edited by Donald M. Grant and Thomas G. Hadley (1945) (Two printings).

The Buffalo Book Company

Kenneth J. Krueger, a science fiction fan and book seller from

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

, was drafted in 1945 and eventually stationed near Providence. Krueger joined the venture bringing with him a mailing list from his book selling business. At this point, Donald Grant had also entered the military and was stationed in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. Krueger talked Tom Hadley into changing the name of the publisher to The Buffalo Book Company. The first book published by The Buffalo Book Company was ''

The Time Stream ''The Time Stream'' is a science fiction novel by American writer John Taine (pseudonym of Eric Temple Bell). The novel was originally serialized in four parts in the magazine ''Wonder Stories'' beginning in December 1931. It was first publishe ...

'', by

John Taine Eric Temple Bell (7 February 1883 – 21 December 1960) was a Scottish-born mathematician and science fiction writer who lived in the United States for most of his life. He published non-fiction using his given name and fiction as John Tain ...

. According to Jack Chalker, the book did not sell well which delayed their second publication of ''

The Skylark of Space ''The Skylark of Space'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Edward E. "Doc" Smith, written between 1915 and 1921 while Smith was working on his doctorate. Though the original idea for the novel was Smith's, he co-wrote the first part o ...

'' by

E. E. Smith Edward Elmer Smith (May 2, 1890 – August 31, 1965), publishing as E. E. Smith, Ph.D. and later as E. E. "Doc" Smith, was an American food engineer (specializing in doughnut and pastry mixes) and science-fiction author, best known for the '' ...

. On the other hand, Robert Weinberg states that: "While neither book was particularly well put together or packaged, they sold well, especially the Smith title.

Works published by The Buffalo Book Company

* ''The Time Stream'', by John Taine (1946) * ''The Skylark of Space'' by

(1946). This title had originally been proposed as a book by William F. Crawford back in 1935.

The Hadley Publishing Co.

Lloyd Arthur Eshbach Lloyd Arthur Eshbach (June 20, 1910 – October 29, 2003) was an American science fiction fan, publisher and writer, secular and religious publisher, and minister. Biography Born in Palm, Pennsylvania, Eshbach grew up in Reading in the sa ...

ordered a copy of ''

Skylark of Space ''The Skylark of Space'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Edward E. "Doc" Smith, written between 1915 and 1921 while Smith was working on his doctorate. Though the original idea for the novel was Smith's, he co-wrote the first part o ...

'' from The Buffalo Book Company, in 1945 or 1946. Frustrated by the publishing delays, Eshbach wrote to the Buffalo Book Company offering suggestions as to how they could better market their books. Thus started a correspondence between Eshbach and Tom Hadley with Eshbach continuing to offer advice. At this point

Ken Krueger Ken Krueger (October 7, 1926 – November 21, 2009) was an American publisher and retailer. Krueger co-founded and organized the first San Diego Comic-Con International convention, then called "San Diego's Golden State Comic-Con," in 1970. Krueger ...

had moved back to Buffalo and Don Grant was attending college, though he continued to offer recommendations on what to publish. Hadley decided to continue the company on his own, renaming it The Hadley Publishing Co. According to Robert Weinberg, "making things even more complicated, Hadley and Grant later published a third edition of

under the banner of FFF: Publishers. All of the Hadley volumes used ugly typefaces and were illustrated by barely competent fan artists. They reflected an enthusiasm for publishing but a lack of knowledge about the basics of the publishing business." Robert Weinberg, "Specialty Science Fiction Publishers" in Hall, Hal W. (ed) ''Science Fiction Collections: Fantasy, Supernatural and Weird Tales'', Haworth, 1983. p. 122.

Works published by The Hadley Publishing Co.

* ''

The Weapon Makers ''The Weapon Makers'' is a science fiction novel by Canadian writer A. E. van Vogt. The novel was originally serialized in '' Astounding Science Fiction'' from February to April 1943. The serial version was first published in book form in 1947 wi ...

'', by

A. E. van Vogt Alfred Elton van Vogt ( ; April 26, 1912 – January 26, 2000) was a Canadian-born American science fiction author. His fragmented, bizarre narrative style influenced later science fiction writers, notably Philip K. Dick. He was one of the ...

(1946) * ''

The Mightiest Machine ''The Mightiest Machine'' is a science fiction novel by American writer John W. Campbell, Jr. The novel was originally serialized in 5 parts in '' Astounding Stories'' magazine from December 1934 to April 1935, and was published in book form i ...

'', by John W. Campbell, Jr. (1947) * ''

'' by

(1947), reset from The Buffalo Book Company edition * '' Final Blackout'', by

L. Ron Hubbard Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (March 13, 1911 – January 24, 1986) was an American author, primarily of science fiction and fantasy stories, who is best known for having founded the Church of Scientology. In 1950, Hubbard authored '' Dianeti ...

(1948)

Notes

{{Reflist American speculative fiction publishers Book publishing companies of the United States Publishing companies established in 1945 Science fiction publishers Small press publishing companies 1946 establishments in the United States