Curtis Circulation Company, LLC (abbreviated as CC), is a
magazine distribution Distribution may refer to:
Mathematics
*Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations
*Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a varia ...
company.
History
Curtis Circulation Company began as the circulation department of the
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
-based
Curtis Publishing Company
The Curtis Publishing Company, founded in 1891 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, became one of the largest and most influential publishers in the United States during the early 20th century. The company's publications included the ''Ladies' Home Jour ...
, publisher of ''
The Saturday Evening Post
''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely ...
'', ''
Ladies' Home Journal
''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States. In ...
'', and ''
Holiday
A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or t ...
''; Curtis Circulation became a subsidiary in 1946.
Besides the publishing company's own magazines, other titles distributed by Curtis Circulation included ''
The Atlantic
''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'' and ''
Esquire
Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title.
In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...
''.
One of Curtis' most notable clients in the 1950s was ''
Classics Illustrated
''Classics Illustrated'' is an American comic book/magazine series featuring adaptations of literary classics such as ''Les Misérables'', ''Moby-Dick'', ''Hamlet'', and ''The Iliad''. Created by Albert Kanter, the series began publication in ...
'', which Curtis distributed, starting first in Canada in 1948, and then nationally in the U.S. beginning in 1951.
[Jones Jr., William B. ''Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History'', 2d ed. (McFarland & Company, 2017).]
In 1969,
Perfect Film & Chemical Corporation purchased Curtis Circulation from the Curtis Publishing Company.
Beginning in 1969 (and lasting until 1995), Curtis became the distributor of
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in 19 ...
(Perfect Film had bought out publisher
Martin Goodman—owner of
Magazine Management Company, the parent of
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in 19 ...
in 1968).
Joseph M. Walsh
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the m ...
(1944–2016) became president of Curtis Circulation in 1970 (he also held high-ranking titles at its parent company, Cadence).
In 1973, Perfect Film renamed itself
Cadence Industries.
In 1978, CC was the U.S.'s largest magazine distributor.
["House of Hammer Volume Two,"]
DezSkinn.com. Retrieved Apr. 19, 2021.
In 1982, Joseph M. Walsh became Chairman and CEO of Curtis, acquiring an ownership stake.
Cadence Industries was liquidated in 1986, selling Curtis Circulation to
Hachette Distribution Services
Hachette Distribution Services is the distribution arm of French media group Hachette Hachette may refer to:
* Hachette (surname)
* Hachette (publisher), a French publisher, the imprint of Lagardère Publishing
** Hachette Book Group, the America ...
(a division of the
Lagardère Group
Lagardère S.A. () is an international group with operations in over 40 countries. It is headquartered in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The group was created in 1992 as Matra, Hachette & Lagardère. Headed by Arnaud Lagardère, it is focuse ...
); Walsh retained his ownership stake.
[
Comag Marketing Group (CMG) acquired Curtis Circulation Company, effective October 1, 2019 ]
See also
* Curtis Magazines
Curtis or Curtiss is a common English given name and surname of Anglo-Norman origin from the Old French ''curteis'' (Modern French ''courtois'') which derived from the Spanish Cortés (of which Cortez is a variation) and the Portuguese and Ga ...
References
Marketing companies established in 1946
Comics industry
Distributors
1946 establishments in Pennsylvania
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