TarcherPerigee is a book publisher and imprint of

Penguin Group Penguin Group is a British trade book publisher and part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. The new company was created by a merger that was finalised on 1 July 2013, with Bertelsmann initial ...

focused primarily on mind, body and spiritualism titles, founded in 1973 by Jeremy P. Tarcher in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

. (Tarcher was notably married to ventriloquist

Shari Lewis Shari Lewis (born Phyllis Naomi Hurwitz; January 17, 1933 – August 2, 1998) was a Peabody-winning American ventriloquist, puppeteer, children's entertainer, television show host, dancer, singer, actress, author, and symphonic conductor. She wa ...

, and his sister was novelist

Judith Krantz Judith Krantz (née Tarcher; January 9, 1928 – June 22, 2019) was a magazine writer and fashion editor who turned to fiction as she approached the age of 50. Her first novel ''Scruples'' (1978) quickly became a ''New York Times'' best-seller an ...

). Tarcher began his career in publishing in the early 1960s, putting together packaged book deals for celebrities such as

Phyllis Diller Phyllis Ada Diller (née Driver; July 17, 1917 – August 20, 2012) was an American stand-up comedian, actress, author, musician, and visual artist, best known for her eccentric stage persona, self-deprecating humor, wild hair and clothes, and ...

Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six P ...

Zsa Zsa Gabor Zsa Zsa Gabor (, ; born Sári Gábor ; February 6, 1917 – December 18, 2016) was a Hungarian-American socialite and actress. Her sisters were actresses Eva and Magda Gabor. Gabor competed in the 1933 Miss Hungary pageant, where she ...

Buddy Hackett Buddy Hackett (born Leonard Hacker; August 31, 1924 – June 30, 2003) was an American actor, comedian and singer. His best remembered roles include Marcellus Washburn in ''The Music Man'' (1962), Benjy Benjamin in ''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Wo ...

, and

Joan Rivers Joan Alexandra Molinsky (June 8, 1933 – September 4, 2014), known professionally as Joan Rivers, was an American comedian, actress, producer, writer and television host. She was noted for her blunt, often controversial comedic persona—heavi ...

, but changed direction after a retreat at the

Esalen Institute The Esalen Institute, commonly called Esalen, is a non-profit American retreat center and intentional community in Big Sur, California, which focuses on humanistic alternative education. The institute played a key role in the Human Potential ...

, an early center of the

human potential movement The Human Potential Movement (HPM) arose out of the counterculture of the 1960s and formed around the concept of an extraordinary potential that its advocates believed to lie largely untapped in all people. The movement takes as its premise the b ...

located in

Big Sur, California Big Sur () is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast of California between Carmel and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently praised for its dramatic scenery. Big Sur ha ...

. Receiving no interest from the New York publishing establishment in publishing books on these subjects he began his own publishing venture, and went on to publish bestselling books from many previously-unknown authors working on health, psychology, philosophy, and

New Age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars consi ...

spiritutality. They include ''Joy’s Way'' by W. Brugh Joy; "

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Betty Edwards (born 1926 in San Francisco, California) is an American art teacher and author best known for her 1979 book ''Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain'' (, in its 4th edition). She taught and did research at the California State U ...

" by

Betty Edwards Betty Edwards (born 1926 in San Francisco, California) is an American art teacher and author best known for her 1979 book ''Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain'' (, in its 4th edition). She taught and did research at the California State ...

;'' Bikram’s Beginning Yoga Class'' by

hot yoga Hot yoga is a form of yoga as exercise performed under hot and humid conditions, resulting in considerable sweating. Some hot yoga practices seek to replicate the heat and humidity of India, where yoga originated. Bikram Choudhury has suggeste ...

guru Bikram Choudhury; the English translation of Austrian mountaineer and

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hit ...

SS sergeant

Heinrich Harrer Heinrich Harrer (; 6 July 1912 – 7 January 2006) was an Austrian mountaineer, sportsman, geographer, '' Oberscharführer'' in the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS), and author. He was a member of the four-man climbing team that made the first ascent of t ...

Seven Years in Tibet ''Seven Years in Tibet: My Life Before, During and After'' (1952; german: Sieben Jahre in Tibet. Mein Leben am Hofe des Dalai Lama; 1954 in English) is an autobiographical travel book written by Austrian mountaineer and Nazi SS sergeant Hein ...

(originally published in German in the 1940s); and

The Aquarian Conspiracy Marilyn Ferguson (April 5, 1938, in Grand Junction, Colorado – October 19, 2008) was an American author, editor and public speaker known for her 1980 book ''The Aquarian Conspiracy'' which is connected with the New Age Movement. A founding m ...

Marilyn Ferguson Marilyn Ferguson (April 5, 1938, in Grand Junction, Colorado – October 19, 2008) was an American author, editor and public speaker known for her 1980 book ''The Aquarian Conspiracy'' which is connected with the New Age Movement. A founding ...

. He "discovered" many of these authors through his ongoing relationship with

Michael Murphy Michael, Mick, or Mike Murphy may refer to: Artists and entertainers * Michael Murphy (actor) (born 1938), American actor * Mike Murphy (musician) (1946–2006), American drummer for the Bee Gees and Chicago * Michael Bryan Murphy, lead singer of ...

, the co-founder of Esalen Institute, who also published several books with Tarcher and served on the board of Esalen for years. Over the years the company expanded to include

nonfiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with bei ...

books of all types.

Putnam Putnam may refer to: People * Putnam (surname) Places Canada * Putnam, Ontario, community in Thames Centre United States * Putnam, Alabama * Putnam, Connecticut, a New England town ** Putnam (CDP), Connecticut, the main village in the town ...

purchased the company in 1991, and the offices were moved to New York. Tarcher remained head of the company until early 1996, when Joel Fotinos was named publisher. The firm merged with sister imprint Perigee to form TarcherPerigee in 2015. Tarcher died in Los Angeles in 2015 from complications of

Parkinson’s disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms become ...

. He was 83. TarcherPerigee publications cover a broad spectrum of topics in the areas of wellness, self-improvement, spirituality, esoterica, occultism, creativity, social consciousness, prosperity, and more. Recent bestsellers include '' 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl'', ''

Ultramarathon Man Dean Karnazes ( ; born ''Constantinos Karnazes''; August 23, 1962), is an American ultramarathon runner, and author of ''Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner'', which details ultra endurance running for the general public. Earl ...

'', ''The Dumbest Generation'', ''

The Wonder of Boys Michael Gurian is an American author and social philosopher. He works as a marriage and family counselor and corporate consultant. He has published twenty-eight books, several of which were ''New York Times'' bestseller list bestsellers. He is ...

'', ''Energy Medicine'', ''The Power of Kindness'', and ''Think & Grow Rich.'' In the field of 'success literature' TarcherPerigee publishes authors such as

Napoleon Hill Oliver Napoleon Hill (October 26, 1883 – November 8, 1970) was an American self-help author. He is best known for his book '' Think and Grow Rich'' (1937), which is among the best-selling self-help books of all time. Hill's works insisted t ...

Michael Muhammad Knight Michael Muhammad Knight (born 1977) is an American novelist, essayist, and journalist. His writings are popular among American Muslim youth. The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' described him as "one of the most necessary and, paradoxically enough, ...

Wallace D. Wattles Wallace Delois Wattles (; 1860 – 7 February 1911) was an American New Thought writer. He remains personally somewhat obscure, but his writing has been widely quoted and remains in print in the New Thought and self-help movements. Wattles' bes ...

Dale Carnegie Dale Carnegie (; spelled Carnagey until c. 1922; November 24, 1888 – November 1, 1955) was an American writer and lecturer, and the developer of courses in self-improvement, salesmanship, corporate training, public speaking, and interpersonal ...

, and James Allen. Among the imprint's authors in the field of mind, body, and spiritualism are

Robin Norwood Robin Norwood (born July 27, 1945) is the author of the international best-selling book, ''Women Who Love Too Much'' as well as ''Letters from Women Who Love Too Much, Daily Meditations for Women Who Love Too Much'' (illustrated by Richard Torregro ...

Stephen Mansfield Stephen Lee Mansfield (born 1958) is an American author who writes about history, modern culture, religion and men's issues. His books have appeared on the New York Times best-seller list. Life and career Mansfield was born in Columbus, Georgia, ...

(author of ''The Aquarian Conspiracy''), Bikram Choudhury, and

Jim Knipfel Jim Knipfel (pronounced Kah-nipfel; born June 2, 1965) is an American novelist, autobiographer, and journalist. A native of Wisconsin, Knipfel, who suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, is the author of three memoirs, ''Slackjaw'', ''Quitting the ...

References

Book publishing companies based in New York (state) Publishing companies established in 1973 1973 establishments in California {{US-publishing-company-stub