Atheneum Books was a New York City publishing house established in 1959 by

Alfred A. Knopf, Jr. Alfred Abraham Knopf Jr. (June 17, 1918 – February 14, 2009) was an American publisher. He was one of the founders of Atheneum Publishers in 1959. Biography He was the only child of publisher Alfred A. Knopf Sr. and Blanche Wolf. He was born ...

, Simon Michael Bessie and

Hiram Haydn Hiram Collins Haydn (November 3, 1907 – December 2, 1973)Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publi ...

has owned Atheneum properties since its acquisition of Macmillan in 1994 and it created Atheneum Books for Young Readers as an

imprint Imprint or imprinting may refer to: Entertainment * ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series * "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror'' * ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film ...

for

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 ...

in the 2000s.

History

left his family publishing house

Alfred A. Knopf Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. () is an American publishing house that was founded by Alfred A. Knopf Sr. and Blanche Knopf in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers i ...

and created Atheneum Books in 1959 with Simon Michael Bessie (Harpers) and Hiram Haydn (Random House). It became the publisher of

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made ...

winners

Edward Albee Edward Franklin Albee III ( ; March 12, 1928 – September 16, 2016) was an American playwright known for works such as '' The Zoo Story'' (1958), '' The Sandbox'' (1959), '' Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1962), '' A Delicate Balance'' (196 ...

, Charles Johnson, James Merrill,

Nikki Giovanni Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni Jr. (born June 7, 1943) is an American poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. One of the world's most well-known African-American poets,Jane M. Barstow, Yolanda Williams Page (eds)"Nikki Giovanni" ''E ...

, Mona Van Duyn and

Theodore H. White Theodore Harold White (, May 6, 1915 – May 15, 1986) was an American political journalist and historian, known for his reporting from China during World War II and the ''Making of the President'' series. White started his career reporting for ...

. It also published Ernest Gaines' first book ''Catherine Carmier'' (1964). Knopf personally recruited editor Jean E. Karl to establish a Children's Book Department in 1961. Jalowitz, Alan (Summer 2006)
"Karl, Jean (Edna)"
. Pennsylvania Center for the Book. Penn State University. Retrieved 2011-10-21. Palmquist, Vicki (July 29

o year O, or o, is the fifteenth letter and the fourth vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''o'' (pronounced ), pl ...

"Birthday Bios: Jean E. Karl"
. Children's literature network. (c) 2002–2008. Retrieved 2011-10-21. Atheneum acquired the reprint house Russell & Russell in 1965. Atheneum merged with

Charles Scribner's Sons Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner's or Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing American authors including Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Marjorie Kinnan R ...

to become The Scribner Book Company in 1978. The acquisition included Rawson Associates. Scribner was acquired by

Macmillan MacMillan, Macmillan, McMillen or McMillan may refer to: People * McMillan (surname) * Clan MacMillan, a Highland Scottish clan * Harold Macmillan, British statesman and politician * James MacMillan, Scottish composer * William Duncan MacMillan ...

in 1984. Macmillan was purchased by Simon & Schuster in 1994. After the merger, the Atheneum adult list was merged into Scribner and the Scribner children's line was merged into Atheneum. In the 2000s, the Simon & Schuster imprint Atheneum Books for Young Readers has published the popular ''May Bird'' fantasy series for young adults, inaugurated by '' May Bird and the Ever After'' (2005), and the Olivia series of picture books featuring Olivia the pig (from 2000). '' The Higher Power of Lucky'' won the 2007 Newbery Medal. In a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association listed '' Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery'' as one of its Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children. National Education Association (2007)
"Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children"
Retrieved 2012-08-19.

Notes

References

External links

Atheneum Books for Young Readers
imprint at publisher Simon & Schuster {{ViacomCBS Book publishing companies based in New York (state) Book publishing company imprints Children's book publishers Fantasy book publishers Simon & Schuster American companies established in 1959 Publishing companies established in 1959 1959 establishments in New York City 1984 mergers and acquisitions 1994 mergers and acquisitions