George Macy (1900–1956) was an American

publisher Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...

Career

George Macy was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1900. He graduated in 1917 with general honors from

DeWitt Clinton High School DeWitt Clinton High School is a public high school located since 1929 in the Bronx borough of New York City. Opened in 1897 in Lower Manhattan as an all-boys school, it maintained that status for 86 years before becoming co-ed in 1983. From i ...

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

Vanguard Press The Vanguard Press 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 of books on ra ...

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 who were famous in the graphic arts. On November 14, 2024 a complete run of Limited Editions Club publications, sold for $34,925 by Freeman's, Hindman Auction House. American Institute of Graphic Arts medal

American Institute of Graphic Arts medal

By setting up a subscription service, Macy was able to work with a larger budget for subscribers. His goal was to create a more affordable way for classic books to get to the masses. Artists contracted to illustrate books were given a lot of freedom and budget, but also sometimes lost his gambles. The 1935 publication of James Joyce’s ''

Ulysses Ulysses is the Latin name for Odysseus, a legendary Greek hero recognized for his intelligence and cunning. He is famous for his long, adventurous journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, as narrated in Homer's Odyssey. Ulysses may also refer ...

'' was illustrated with line drawings by

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

, 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 Ok ...

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 novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

in 1938. In 1943 he edited and published ''A Soldier’s Reader: A Volume Containing Four Hundred Thousand Words of Select Literary Entertainment for the American Soldier on the Ground or in the Air.'' Macy became a

Chevalier of the Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

after a 1948 display of his work at the

Bibliothèque nationale de France The (; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites, ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository of all that is published in France. Some of its extensive collections, including bo ...

. In 1952 the British Library held an exhibit of his work. In 1953 he was awarded the AIGA medal for his work as a publisher by the

American Institute of Graphic Arts The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) is a professional organization for design. Its members practice all forms of communication design, including graphic design, typography, interaction design, user experience, branding and identity. The ...

. At services held in Macy's memory after his death 1956

Nunnally Johnson Nunnally Hunter Johnson (December 5, 1897 – March 25, 1977) was an American screenwriter, film director, producer and playwright. As a filmmaker, he wrote the screenplays to more than fifty films in a career that spanned from 1927 to 1967. He a ...

spoke of his great love of fine and beautiful books which "more than any man in the long history of bookmaking, he caused to be fashioned exquisitely and to be brought into homes that never before could afford the unimaginable joy of possessing them."Johnson, Nunnally, and Limited Editions Club. 1956. ''A Tribute to George Macy''. New York: For members of the Limited Editions Club, p.6. Macy's wife, Helen Macy, continued the work of The Limited Editions Club and Heritage Press until 1968 when their son became head of the company. The firms were sold to various publishing companies in 1970. These include the Boise-Cascade Company.

Publications of The Heritage Press

The original six publications that 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 ...

published were released in November and December of 1935. The original six artist-signed copies were: # ''David Copperfield'' by Charles Dickens/John Austen # ''Romeo and Juliet'' by William Shakespeare/Sylvain Sauvage # ''The Scarlet Letter'' by Nathaniel Hawthorne/W.A. Dwiggins # ''The Song of Songs which is Solomon''/Valenti Angelo # ''The Story of Manon Lescaut'' by Abbe Prevost/Pierre Brissaud # ''A Shropshire Lad'' by A.E. Housman/Edward A. Wilson

References

Additional sources

*Grossman, Carol P., Matthew Carter, Jerry Kelly, and PBtisk (Firm). 2017. ''The History of the Limited Editions Club.'' New Castle, DE: Oak Knoll Press. *Limited Editions Club, and Denis Gouey. 1985. ''Bibliography of the Fine Books Published by the Limited Editions Club, 1929-1985.'' New York City: Limited Editions Club. *Rogers, Bruce, and Bruce Rogers. ''A Record of the Proceedings at the Limited Editions Club’s Dinner to Celebrate the Twenty-First Birthday of the Club & the Fiftieth Birthday of Its Founder'' : Together with a Reproduction of the Program and Menu, the Ritz-Carlton, New York, 11 May 1950. New York, NY: The Club], 1950.

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) Knights of the Legion of Honour Deaths from cancer AIGA medalists