Harlin Quist (died May 13, 2000, age 69) born Harlin Bloomquist was a publisher noted for innovative children's books.

Early years

Harlin was born and raised in Virginia, Minnesota, attended

Carnegie Tech Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technol ...

and began his career in 1958 as an off-Broadway actor and producer. His 1959 production of Chekhov's ''

Ivanov Ivanov, Ivanoff or Ivanow (masculine, bg, Иванов, russian: ИвановSometimes the stress is on Ива́нов in Bulgarian if it is a middle name, or in Russian as a rare variant of pronunciation), or Ivanova (feminine, bg, Иванов ...

'' won four Obie awards. He also worked at Crowell-Collier and

Dell Publishing Dell Publishing Company, Inc. is an American publisher of books, magazines and comic books, that was founded in 1921 by George T. Delacorte Jr. with $10,000 (approx. $145,000 in 2021), two employees and one magazine title, ''I Confess'', and so ...

until striking out on his own by establishing his own company, Harlin Quist, Inc., in 1965.

Career

Harlin Quist Books published over sixty children's books between 1966 and 1984 in the US and through a partnership in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. He gave the start to some notable authors and illustrators, including

Guillermo Mordillo Guillermo Mordillo (4 August 1932 – 29 June 2019), known simply as Mordillo, was an Argentine creator of cartoons and animations and was one of the most widely published cartoonists of the 1970s. He is most famous for his humorous, colorful, su ...

, Albert Cullum, Guy Billout, Nicole Claveloux, and Patrick Couratin. These books were praised for their wild, psychedelic illustrations and plots. In 1981, he won a

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...

for cover design. In the 1980s, he returned to theater and rehabilitated the

NorShor Theatre The NorShor Theatre is an entertainment venue in downtown Duluth, Minnesota, and was formerly a movie palace and Opera House. It occupies a prominent place along Superior Street, and underwent a massive renovation effort by the City of Duluth. Th ...

, an Art Deco movie theater in

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior, Wisconsin, Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: Downtown Dul ...

. In the 1990s Quist published books in France, where he spent most of his time. He established a company in Paris with French designer and illustrator Patrick Couratin and they reissued limited editions of some of his best-known books as well as publishing new ones for European distribution. Quist received an award from the French government for his achievements as a book publisher in Europe. In 1994 he became ill with

Myasthenia gravis Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a long-term neuromuscular junction disease that leads to varying degrees of skeletal muscle weakness. The most commonly affected muscles are those of the eyes, face, and swallowing. It can result in double vision, ...

. In 1997 the (Youth Book Fair in France) held a retrospective of his original art and first editions books in French and English. Quist was survived by his three siblings.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quist, Harlin Children's book publishers American book publishers (people) Obie Award recipients National Book Award winners Carnegie Mellon University alumni People from Virginia, Minnesota 2000 deaths

Early years

Career

See also

References