{{Infobox radio show , name = Book and Author Luncheon , image = , image_size = , alt = , caption = , other_names = , format =

Talk radio Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, Interview (jo ...

, runtime = , start_time = , end_time = , runtime_note = , country = United States , language = English , home_station =

WNYC WNYC is an audio service brand, under the control of New York Public Radio, a non-profit organization. Radio and other audio programming is primarily provided by a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations: WNYC (AM) and WNYC- ...

, syndicates = , television = , presenter = Irita Bradford Van Doren , starring = , announcer = , creator =

American Booksellers Association The American Booksellers Association (ABA) is a non-profit trade association founded in 1900 that promotes independent bookstores in the United States. ABA's core members are key participants in their communities' local economy and culture, and to ...

, writer = , director = , senior_editor = , editor = , producer = , exec_producer = , narrated = , rec_location = , rem_location = , oth_location = , first_aired = {{Start date, 1948, 10, 26 , last_aired = {{End date, 1974, 04, 29 , num_series = 21 , num_episodes = Unknown, approx. 150 (closer to 250 luncheons were held during its run. The first 10 seasons occurred prior to the luncheon's partnership with WNYC) , audio_format = , opentheme = , othertheme = , endtheme = , sponsor =

New York Herald Tribune The ''New York Herald Tribune'' was a newspaper published between 1924 and 1966. It was created in 1924 when Ogden Mills Reid of the '' New York Tribune'' acquired the '' New York Herald''. It was regarded as a "writer's newspaper" and compet ...

, website = , podcast = ''The Book and Author Luncheon'' was created in 1938 by the

. The program provided a prominent forum for authors to speak to the public about their works in one of the largest markets for books in the United States, New York City. The ABA partnered with the

early in its first year, and with

in its 11th season, in 1948. It would air on WNYC until the luncheon's end, in 1974. The Book and Author Luncheon produced 8 events per year, each with 2 to 4 speakers. It was held at a variety of locations in Manhattan, most frequently at the Waldorf Astoria. Though it predominantly featured authors as speakers, it drew from a wide variety of notable figures during its 31-year run. Some of its famous guest speakers include

Vladimir Nabokov Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov ( ; 2 July 1977), also known by the pen name Vladimir Sirin (), was a Russian and American novelist, poet, translator, and entomologist. Born in Imperial Russia in 1899, Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Rus ...

James A. Michener James Albert Michener ( or ; February 3, 1907 – October 16, 1997) was an American writer. He wrote more than 40 books, most of which were long, fictional family sagas covering the lives of many generations, set in particular geographic locales ...

Jane Jacobs Jane Isabel Jacobs (''née'' Butzner; 4 May 1916 – 25 April 2006) was an American-Canadian journalist, author, theorist, and activist who influenced urban studies, sociology, and economics. Her book ''The Death and Life of Great American Ci ...

Robert Moses Robert Moses (December 18, 1888 – July 29, 1981) was an American urban planner and public official who worked in the New York metropolitan area during the early to mid-20th century. Moses is regarded as one of the most powerful and influentia ...

Rachel Carson Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist, writer, and conservation movement, conservationist whose sea trilogy (1941–1955) and book ''Silent Spring'' (1962) are credited with advancing mari ...

John Kenneth Galbraith John Kenneth Galbraith (October 15, 1908 – April 29, 2006), also known as Ken Galbraith, was a Canadian-American economist, diplomat, public official, and intellectual. His books on economic topics were bestsellers from the 1950s through the ...

, Sammy Davis Jr.,

Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. Arthur Meier Schlesinger Jr. ( ; born Arthur Bancroft Schlesinger; October 15, 1917 – February 28, 2007) was an American historian, social critic, and public intellectual. The son of the influential historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Sr. and a ...

and

Marian Anderson Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897April 8, 1993) was an American contralto. She performed a wide range of music, from opera to spirituals. Anderson performed with renowned orchestras in major concert and recital venues throughout the United S ...

, among many, many others. It was hosted for the majority of its run by

Book Review editor Irita Bradford Van Doren.

External links

Book and Author Luncheon
a
The WNYC Archives
American talk radio programs Radio programs about books and literature