Atheneum Books was a New York City

publishing house 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 ...

established in 1959 by Alfred A. Knopf, Jr., Simon Michael Bessie and

Hiram Haydn Hiram Collins Haydn (November 3, 1907 – December 2, 1973)Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

has owned Atheneum properties since it acquired 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 () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''chi ...

in the 2000s.

History

Alfred A. Knopf, Jr. left his family publishing house

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

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 Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

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 (play), The Sandbox'' (1959), ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1962), ''A Delicat ...

, Charles Johnson,

James Merrill James Ingram Merrill (March 3, 1926 – February 6, 1995) was an American poet. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1977 for '' Divine Comedies.'' His poetry falls into two distinct bodies of work: the polished and formalist lyri ...

Nikki Giovanni Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni Jr. (June 7, 1943 – December 9, 2024) was an American poet, writer, commentator, activist and educator. One of the world's best-known African-American poets, her work includes poetry anthologies, poetry recor ...

Mona Van Duyn Mona Jane Van Duyn (May 9, 1921 – December 2, 2004) was an American poet. She was appointed United States Poet Laureate in 1992. Biography Early years Van Duyn was born May 9, 1921, in Waterloo, Iowa."Van Duyn, Mona (1921–2004)." '' Dictio ...

and Theodore H. White. It also published

Ernest Gaines Ernest is a given name derived from the Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious", often shortened to Ernie. Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People * Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), son of Maximilia ...

' first book ''Catherine Carmier'' (1964). Knopf 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 of 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 ), ...

"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 that has published several notable American authors, including Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Marjori ...

to become The Scribner Book Company in 1978. The acquisition included Rawson Associates. Scribner was acquired by 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 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 ''The Higher Power of Lucky'' is a children's novel written by Susan Patron and illustrated by Matt Phelan. Published in 2006 by Simon & Schuster, it was awarded the 2007 Newbery Medal. Plot summary Lucky Trimble is a ten-year-old girl who liv ...

'' won the 2007

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

. In a 2007 online poll, the

National Education Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college st ...

listed '' Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery'' as one of its Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children.

Publications

*'' The Princess Mouse: A Tale of Finland'' (2003)

Notes

References

External links

Atheneum Books for Young Readers
imprint at publisher Simon & Schuster {{Kohlberg Kravis Roberts 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