Stein and Day, Inc. was an American publishing company founded by

Sol Stein Sol Stein (October 13, 1926 – September 19, 2019) was the author of 13 books and was Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Stein and Day Publishers for 27 years. Early life Born in Chicago on October 13, 1926, Stein was the son of Louis Stein and Z ...

and his wife Patricia Day in 1962. Stein was both the publisher and the

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

. The firm was based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, and was in business for 27 years, until closing in 1989.

History

Stein and Day's first book was Elia Kazan's ''

America America ''America America'' (British title ''The Anatolian Smile''—a reference to an ongoing acknowledgment of the character Stavros' captivating smile) is a 1963 American drama film directed, produced and written by Elia Kazan, adapted from his own b ...

'', published in 1962, which was a bestseller and was adapted into a film by Kazan. The success of many of Stein and Day's books was attributable in part to the amount of publicity work that Stein and Day did for each book Stein worked with Kazan daily for five months on Kazan's first novel '' The Arrangement'', which was #1 on the ''New York Times'' Best Seller list for 37 consecutive weeks. The firm relocated from

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

Briarcliff Manor, New York Briarcliff Manor () is a suburban village in Westchester County, New York, north of New York City. It is on of land on the east bank of the Hudson River, geographically shared by the towns of Mount Pleasant and Ossining. Briarcliff Manor in ...

in 1975, and published about 100 books a year until the company declared bankruptcy in 1987, selling its

backlist A backlist is a list of older books available from a publisher. This is opposed to newly-published titles, which is sometimes known as the frontlist. Business Building a strong backlist has traditionally been considered the best method to produ ...

in 1988. Stein and Day's demise was the subject of Stein's book '' A Feast for Lawyers''. The ''New York Times'' wrote, "He has produced an appalling, Dickensian portrait of the entire system...ought to be read not only by executives facing

Chapter 11 Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, wheth ...

but by all entrepreneurs and indeed by anyone who fantasizes about running his own company." Stein's book was honored by the

American Bankruptcy Association 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 ...

at its annual convention in Washington, D.C.

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

hosts the Stein and Day Archives, which chronicles the firm's 27 years of existence.

Bibliography

*books listed by year of publication *''

'', Elia Kazan (1962) *'' Abbott's New Card Games'', Robert Abbott (1963) (first publication of the rules for

Baroque chess Baroque chess is a chess variant invented in 1962 by Robert Abbott. In 1963, at the suggestion of his publisher, he changed the name to Ultima, by which name it is also known. Abbott later considered his invention flawed and suggested amendment ...

) *''

Strange Communists I Have Known Strange may refer to: Fiction * Strange (comic book), a comic book limited series by Marvel Comics * Strange (Marvel Comics), one of a pair of Marvel Comics characters known as The Strangers * Adam Strange, a DC Comics superhero * The title char ...

'',

Bertram Wolfe Bertram David Wolfe (January 19, 1896 – February 21, 1977) was an American scholar, leading communist, and later a leading anti-communist. He authored many works related to communism, including biographical studies of Vladimir Lenin, Joseph ...

(1965) *'' The Arrangement'', Elia Kazan (1967) *'' Three Billion Years of Life'', André Cailleux, translated by Joyce E Clemow (1968) *'' THINK: A Biography of the Watsons and IBM'', William Rodgers (1969) SBN 8128-1226-3 *'' A Short History of the Arab Peoples'',

John Bagot Glubb Lieutenant-General Sir John Bagot Glubb, KCB, CMG, DSO, OBE, MC, KStJ, KPM (16 April 1897 – 17 March 1986), known as Glubb Pasha, was a British soldier, scholar, and author, who led and trained Transjordan's Arab Legion between 1939 a ...

(1969) *'' Cruising'', Gerald Walker (1970) (adapted for the film of the same name in 1980) *''

The Defense Never Rests ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'',

F. Lee Bailey Francis Lee Bailey Jr. (June 10, 1933 – June 3, 2021) was an American criminal defense attorney. Bailey's name first came to nationwide attention for his involvement in the second murder trial of Sam Sheppard, a surgeon accused of murdering ...

and Harvey Aronson (1971) *'' When I Put Out To Sea'',

Nicolette Milnes-Walker Nicolette Daisy Milnes-Walker, MBE (1943-) was the first woman to sail non-stop single-handed across the Atlantic. She set sail on 12 June 1971 from Milford Haven, UK and arrived in Newport USA forty five days later on 26 July. She made her crossi ...

(1972) *''

Hitch-hiker's Guide to Europe The ''Hitch-hiker's Guide to Europe'' () was a travel guide, by "Australian expatriate" Ken Welsh and first published in 1971 in the UK by Pan Books. A first American edition was published in 1972 by Stein and Day, New York, NY, USA. The book ...

'', Ken Welsh (1972) *'' Painted Ladies: Models of the Great Artists'', Muriel Segal (1972) *'' The Descent of Woman'',

Elaine Morgan Elaine Morgan OBE, FRSL (7 November 1920 – 12 July 2013), was a Welsh writer for television and the author of several books on evolutionary anthropology. She advocated the aquatic ape hypothesis, which she advocated as a corrective to what ...

(1972) (the first book on the aquatic ape hypothesis) *''

The Sovereign State of ITT ''The Sovereign State: The Secret History of International Telephone and Telegraph'' is a non-fiction book by Anthony Sampson published on July 1, 1973, by Hodder & Stoughton Ltd. The book focuses on the history of ITT Corporation to make a broa ...

'',

Anthony Sampson Anthony Terrell Seward Sampson (3 August 1926 – 18 December 2004) was a British writer and journalist. His most notable and successful book was '' Anatomy of Britain'', which was published in 1962 and was followed by five more "Anatomies", upd ...

(1973) *'' Food in History'',

Reay Tannahill Reay Tannahill (9 December 1929 – 2 November 2007) was a British historian, non-fiction writer, and novelist, best known perhaps for two non-fiction bestsellers: ''Food in History'' and ''Sex in History''. She also wrote under the pseudonym An ...

(1973) *'' The New Apocrypha: a Guide to Strange Science and Occult Beliefs'', John Sladek (1973) *''Samuel Taylor Coleridge: A Bondage of Opium'', Molly Lefebure (1974) *''

Bobby Fischer vs. The Rest of the World Bobby or Bobbie may refer to: People * Bobby (given name), a list of names * Bobby (actress), from Bangladesh * Bobby (rapper) (born 1995), from South Korea * Bobby (screenwriter) (born 1983), Indian screenwriter * Bobby, old slang for a constabl ...

'', Brad Darrach (1974) *'' Hoffa: The Real Story'',

Oscar Fraley Oscar Fraley (August 2, 1914 – January 6, 1994) was an American sports writer and author, perhaps best known, with Eliot Ness, as the co-author of the American memoir ''The Untouchables''. Early life Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Fraley ...

(1975) *'' With the Armies of the Tsar: A Nurse at the Russian Front 1914-1918'', Florence Farmborough (1975) *the "Sergeant Verity" novels, by Donald Thomas (as Francis Selwyn) (1976-1981) *'' The 12th Planet'',

Zecharia Sitchin Zecharia Sitchin (July 11, 1920 – October 9, 2010) was an author of a number of books proposing an explanation for human origins involving ancient astronauts. Sitchin attributed the creation of the ancient Sumerian culture to the ''Anunnaki'', ...

(1976) *'' Backstage Passes: Rock 'N' Roll Life in the Sixties'',

Al Kooper Al Kooper (born Alan Peter Kuperschmidt; February 5, 1944) is a retired American songwriter, record producer and musician, known for organizing Blood, Sweat & Tears, although he did not stay with the group long enough to share its popularity. ...

(1977) *'' Champagne Decorating on A Beer Budget (book)'', Doreen Roy (1977) *''

The Final Conclave ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'', Malachi Martin (1978) *'' Chess to Enjoy'',

Andrew Soltis Andrew Eden Soltis (born May 28, 1947) is an American chess grandmaster, author and columnist. He was inducted into the United States Chess Hall of Fame in September 2011. Chess career Soltis learned how the chess pieces moved at age 10 when he ...

(1978) * ''Fourteen minutes: The last voyage of the Empress of Ireland''. James Croall (1979). *'' Answer to History'', Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (

Shah of Iran This is a list of monarchs of Persia (or monarchs of the Iranic peoples, in present-day Iran), which are known by the royal title Shah or Shahanshah. This list starts from the establishment of the Medes around 671 BCE until the deposition of th ...

) (translated from the French) (1980) *'' A Life in Two Centuries: An Autobiography'', Bertram Wolfe (1981) ISBN *'' Fantasy Wargaming: The Highest Level of All'', Bruce Galloway (1981) *'' The Life and Times of Joe McCarthy: A Biography'', Thomas C. Reeves (1982) *'' The Aquatic Ape'',

(1982) *'' Slings and Arrows: Theater in My Life'', Robert Lewis (1984) ISBN *'' IBM vs. Japan: The Struggle for the Future'', Robert Sobel (1986)

Other authors

Stein and Day published works by

Leslie Fiedler Leslie Aaron Fiedler (March 8, 1917 – January 29, 2003) was an American literary critic, known for his interest in mythography and his championing of genre fiction. His work incorporates the application of psychological theories to American lit ...

, David Frost,

Jack Higgins Henry "Harry" Patterson (27 July 1929 – 9 April 2022), commonly known by his pen name Jack Higgins, was a British author. He was a best-selling author of popular thrillers and espionage novels. His novel '' The Eagle Has Landed'' (1975) so ...

, Dylan Thomas,

Budd Schulberg Budd Schulberg (born Seymour Wilson Schulberg, March 27, 1914 – August 5, 2009) was an American screenwriter, television producer, novelist and sports writer. He was known for his novels '' What Makes Sammy Run?'' and ''The Harder They Fall;'' ...

Claude Brown Claude Brown (February 23, 1937 – February 2, 2002) was the author of '' Manchild in the Promised Land'', published to critical acclaim in 1965, which tells the story of his coming of age during the 1940s and 1950s in Harlem. He also published ...

Harry Lorayne Harry Lorayne (born 4 May 1926) is an American magician and a memory-training specialist and writer who was called "The Yoda of Memory Training" and "The World's Foremost Memory-Training Specialist" by ''Time'' magazine. He is well known for hi ...

Wanda Landowska Wanda Aleksandra Landowska (5 July 1879 – 16 August 1959) was a Polish harpsichordist and pianist whose performances, teaching, writings and especially her many recordings played a large role in reviving the popularity of the harpsichord in ...

and

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

among others. They were the U.S. publishers of

J. B. Priestley John Boynton Priestley (; 13 September 1894 – 14 August 1984) was an English novelist, playwright, screenwriter, broadcaster and social commentator. His Yorkshire background is reflected in much of his fiction, notably in ''The Good Compa ...

Eric Partridge Eric Honeywood Partridge (6 February 1894 – 1 June 1979) was a New Zealand– British lexicographer of the English language, particularly of its slang. His writing career was interrupted only by his service in the Army Education Corps an ...

Maxim Gorky Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (russian: link=no, Алексе́й Макси́мович Пешко́в; – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (russian: Макси́м Го́рький, link=no), was a Russian writer and social ...

Che Guevara Ernesto Che Guevara (; 14 June 1928The date of birth recorded on /upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Ernesto_Guevara_Acta_de_Nacimiento.jpg his birth certificatewas 14 June 1928, although one tertiary source, (Julia Constenla, quot ...

, L. P. Hartley, and

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

References

{{reflist

External links

Finding aid to the Stein and Day records at Columbia University. Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
Book publishing companies based in New York (state) Publishing companies established in 1962 Defunct companies based in New York (state) Defunct book publishing companies of the United States