Gürze Books, LLC is a

Carlsbad, California Carlsbad is a coastal city in the North County region of San Diego County, California, United States. The city is south of downtown Los Angeles and north of downtown San Diego. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 114,746. ...

based publishing company specializing on books addressing

eating disorders An eating disorder is a mental disorder defined by abnormal eating behaviors that negatively affect a person's physical or mental health. Only one eating disorder can be diagnosed at a given time. Types of eating disorders include binge eating ...

and

body image Body image is a person's thoughts, feelings and perception of the aesthetics or sexual attractiveness of their own body. The concept of body image is used in a number of disciplines, including neuroscience, psychology, medicine, psychiatry, ps ...

. It has been an imprint of

Turner Publishing Company Turner Publishing Company is an American independent book publisher based in Nashville, Tennessee. The company is in the top 101 independent publishing companies in the U.S. as compiled bBookmarket.com and has been named four times to ''Publish ...

since 2018.

Company overview

Gürze Books has published more than 40 books by over 30 authors who are experts in the field of eating disorders, addressing topics including

anorexia nervosa Anorexia nervosa, often referred to simply as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by low weight, food restriction, body image disturbance, fear of gaining weight, and an overpowering desire to be thin. ''Anorexia'' is a term of Gr ...

bulimia nervosa Bulimia nervosa, also known as simply bulimia, is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating followed by purging or fasting, and excessive concern with body shape and weight. The aim of this activity is to expel the body of calories eaten ...

binge eating Binge eating is a pattern of disordered eating which consists of episodes of uncontrollable eating. It is a common symptom of eating disorders such as binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa. During such binges, a person rapidly consumes an ex ...

, eating disorders in males,

self-esteem Self-esteem is confidence in one's own worth or abilities. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs about oneself (for example, "I am loved", "I am worthy") as well as emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame. Smith and Mackie (2007) d ...

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...

, and recovery. Gürze has also published an intimate biography of

Hilde Bruch Hilde Bruch (March 11, 1904 December 15, 1984) was a German-born American psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, known foremost for her work on eating disorders and obesity. Bruch emigrated to the United States in 1934. She worked and studied at v ...

''Unlocking the Golden Cage'' chronicling her historic contributions to modern psychology and work introducing anorexia nervosa to popular culture. Gürze also manages a bimonthly newsletter for professionals focusing on current research and treatment called Eating Disorders Review which has been in publication for over 20 years, and creates and distributes the annual Eating Disorders Resource Catalogue, a widely used resource in the eating disorders field. The catalogue includes names and addresses of national eating disorders organizations, listings of prominent treatment facilities, as well as a comprehensive listing of books from the field.

Company history

Background

The company was founded in 1980 by husband and wife, Leigh Cohn and Lindsey Hall, to publish their 31-page booklet ''Eat Without Fear'' on October 15, 1980,World cat item record
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Hall, Lindsey and Leigh Cohn. Bulimia: A Guide to Recovery (25th Anniversary Edition). Carlsbad, CA: Gürze Books, 2011. drawing from Hall's experience recovering from bulimia. The booklet was later reworked and included in ''Bulimia: A Guide to Recovery'',Hall, Lindsey and Leigh Cohn. Bulimia: A Guide to Recovery (First Edition). Santa Barbara, CA: Gürze Books, 1986. which is cited as the first self-help book about bulimia.

The Origin of "Gürze"

The word “Gürze” came to Lindsey in a dream in 1976 from which she awoke and wrote, “I met a woman whose name was Gürze. She had mink hair and was inhabited by seven animals.” Using original batik designs and surgical gauze, she created a soft-sculpture doll of Gürze, which led to the sales of more than 250,000 Gürze Designs dolls.Manner, Debra. “Helping others build self-esteem.” Carlsbad Journal. October 14, 1988. The dolls were featured on TV shows, such as “The Price is Right” (December 12, 1979) and “Mork and Mindy” and were pictured in magazines with celebrities such as

Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan (), is an American singer. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the " Qu ...

, and

Arthur Ashe Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. (July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993) was an American professional tennis player who won three Grand Slam singles titles. He started to play tennis at six years old. He was the first black player selected to the Un ...

. Although Lindsey did not speak any languages that used an umlaut, she was told that in a remote region of Bavaria, “Gürze” is used as a greeting with the literal translation, “I greet the God in you.”

Recognition

Hall and Cohn have been influential in bringing eating disorders to public attention, and have received recognition for their contributions to the field. On February 3, 1981, Lindsey appeared on “ Hour Magazine” becoming the first person to discuss bulimia on national television. They are on the Founders Council of the National Eating Disorders Association, members of Academy of Eating Disorders, received the 2005 Award for Service from the Eating Disorders Coalition, and were given the Lori Irving Award for Excellence in Eating Disorders Prevention and Awareness by the National Eating Disorders Association in 2008. Additionally, they were given honorary Certified Eating Disorders Specialist designations by the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals in 2007, and Leigh served as president of the Publishers Marketing Association from 1992–1993 (now the Independent Book Publishers Association), a non-profit trade association of 3,000 publishing companies throughout the United States. Cohn has distinguished himself as one of the leading experts on males and eating disorders through his writings, media interviews (with MSNBC, the New Yorker, CBS News, USA Today, the New York Daily News, and other sources), and numerous speaking appearances at professional conferences and universities (including Ohio State University, Iowa State University, University of Nebraska, California State University Northridge, and many others). His book, ''Making Weight: Men’s Conflicts with Food, Weight, Shape & Appearance''Andersen, Arnold, Leigh Cohn, and Thomas Holbrook. Making Weight: Healing Men’s Conflicts with Food, Weight & Shape. Carlsbad, CA: Gürze Books, 2000. was published by Gürze Books and coauthored by Arnold Andersen, MD, an extensively published researcher and professor emeritus at the University of Iowa, who previously wrote Males and Eating Disorders and articles on eating disorders in more than 40 professional journals, and by Thomas Holbrook, MD, a psychiatrist and recovering anorexic.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gurze Books Book publishing companies based in California Companies based in Carlsbad, California Eating disorder organizations Publishing companies established in 1980