The World Publishing Company was an American publishing company. The company published

genre fiction In the book-trade, genre fiction, also known as formula fiction, or commercial fiction,Girolimon, Mars"Types of Genres: A Literary Guide" Southern New Hampshire University, 11 December 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2024. encompasses fictional ...

trade paperbacks A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, also known as wrappers, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples. In contrast, hardback (hardcover) books are bound with cardboar ...

children's literature Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. In addition to conventional literary genres, modern children's literature is classified by the intended age of the reade ...

nonfiction Non-fiction (or nonfiction) is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to convey information only about the real world, rather than being grounded in imagination. Non-fiction typically aims to present topics objectively ...

books,

textbooks A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions, but also of learners ( ...

Bibles The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...

, and

dictionaries A dictionary is a listing of lexemes from the lexicon of one or more specific languages, often arranged Alphabetical order, alphabetically (or by Semitic root, consonantal root for Semitic languages or radical-and-stroke sorting, radical an ...

,"WORLD PUBLISHING CO."
''The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History''. Accessed Mar. 3, 2017. primarily from 1940 to 1980. Authors published by World Publishing Company include

Ruth Nanda Anshen Ruth Nanda Anshen (June 14, 1900 – December 2, 2003) was an American philosopher, author and editor. She was the author of several books including ''The Anatomy of Evil'', ''Biography of An Idea'', ''Morals Equals Manners'' and ''The Mystery ...

Michael Crichton John Michael Crichton (; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author, screenwriter and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavil ...

Simone de Beauvoir Simone Lucie Ernestine Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir (, ; ; 9 January 1908 – 14 April 1986) was a French existentialist philosopher, writer, social theorist, and feminist activist. Though she did not consider herself a philosopher, nor was she ...

Robert Ludlum Robert Ludlum (May 25, 1927 – March 12, 2001) was an American author of 27 Thriller (genre), thriller novels, best known as the creator of Jason Bourne from the original ''Bourne (novel series), The Bourne Trilogy'' series. The number of copi ...

Sam Moskowitz Sam Moskowitz (June 30, 1920 – April 15, 1997) was an American writer, critic, and historian of science fiction. Biography As a child, Moskowitz greatly enjoyed reading science fiction pulp magazines. As a teenager, he organized a branch of ...

Ayn Rand Alice O'Connor (born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum; , 1905March 6, 1982), better known by her pen name Ayn Rand (), was a Russian-born American writer and philosopher. She is known for her fiction and for developing a philosophical system which s ...

Rex Stout Rex Todhunter Stout (; December 1, 1886–October 27, 1975) was an American writer noted for his detective fiction. His best-known characters are the detective Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin, who were featured in 33 novels and ...

Gay Talese Gaetano "Gay" Talese (; born February 7, 1932) is an American writer. As a journalist for ''The New York Times'' and ''Esquire (magazine), Esquire'' magazine during the 1960s, he helped to define contemporary literary journalism and is considere ...

, and

Lin Yutang Lin Yutang (10 October 1895 – 26 March 1976) was a Chinese inventor, linguist, novelist, philosopher, and translator. One scholar commented that Lin's "particular blend of sophistication and casualness found a wide audience, and he became a ma ...

. Originally headquartered in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, the company later added an office in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. The company's Cleveland headquarters were located in the

Caxton Building The Caxton Building is a historic building completed in 1903 in Cleveland, Ohio, US. Emporis (includes photos) It was designed by Frank Seymour Barnum's F. S. Barnum & Co architectural firm. The 8-story steel-frame office building was constructed f ...

."Caxton Building"
''Encyclopedia of Cleveland History''. Accessed Mar. 2, 2017. World Publishing was notable for publishing the first edition of ''

Webster's New World Dictionary ''Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language'' is an American dictionary published first in 1951. As of 2022, the work is owned by HarperCollins Publishers. Overview The first edition was published by the World Publishing Comp ...

'' in 1951, which contained 142,000 entries, said to be the largest American desk dictionary available at the time. The company also had a vibrant children's book division, and published the first edition of

Eric Carle Eric Carle (June 25, 1929 – May 23, 2021) was an American author, designer and illustrator of children's books. His picture book '' The Very Hungry Caterpillar'', first published in 1969, has been translated into more than 66 languages and sol ...

's ''

The Very Hungry Caterpillar ''The Very Hungry Caterpillar'' is a 1969 children's picture book designed, illustrated, and written by Eric Carle. The plot follows a very hungry caterpillar that consumes a variety of foods before pupating and becoming a butterfly. It inco ...

'' in 1969. World Publishing Company is not related to the original owners of the ''

Omaha World-Herald The ''Omaha World-Herald'' is a daily newspaper in the midwestern United States, the primary newspaper of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. It was locally owned from its founding in 1885 until 2020, when it was sold to the newspaper ...

'' or ''

Tulsa World The ''Tulsa World'' is an American daily newspaper. It serves the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and is the primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma. The printed edition is the second-most circulated newspaper in the sta ...

'' (also called "World Publishing Co.").

History

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

immigrant Alfred H. Cahen founded the Commercial Bookbinding Co. in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

, in 1902, expanding and adding a printing plant by 1912. In 1928 Cahen bought out his largest competitor, New York's World Syndicate Publishing Co., officially taking on the name World Publishing Co. in 1935. (At that point, the company added an office in New York City.) At the time the largest publisher of the

King James Bible The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version (AV), is an Early Modern English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, by ...

, in 1940 Cahen's son-in-law, Ben Zevin, expanded the company's output by publishing inexpensive editions of classic literature, which were sold in

variety stores A variety store (also five and dime (historic), pound shop, or dollar store) is a retail store that sells general merchandise, such as apparel, auto parts, dry goods, toys, household hardware, hardware, furniture, and a selection of groceries. ...

and

drugstores A pharmacy (also called drugstore in American English or community pharmacy or chemist in Commonwealth English) is a premises which provides pharmaceutical drugs, among other products. At the pharmacy, a pharmacist oversees the fulfillment of ...

as well as bookstores. Under Zevin's leadership, in 1940 World Publishing introduced the hugely popular Tower Books imprint: a 49-cent line of hardcovers which featured such authors as mystery writer

. (This "Tower Books" was not related to the

Tower Publications Tower Publications was an American publisher based in New York City that operated from 1958 to 1982. Originally known for their Midwood Books line of erotic men's fiction, it also published science fiction and fantasy under its Tower Books line a ...

imprint that operated from 1958 to 1981.) From 1942 to 1964 William Targ worked as an editor for World Publishing, eventually becoming editor-in-chief. As time passed, World Publishing expanded its repertoire to all types of fiction, nonfiction, sports, the classics, and philosophy. The

Times Mirror Company The Times Mirror Company was an American newspaper and print media publisher from 1884 until 2000. History It had its roots in the Mirror Printing and Binding House, a commercial printing company founded in 1873, and the ''Los Angeles Times'' ...

acquired World Publishing in 1962.UPI
"Ben Zevin Dies at 88; Leader Of World Publishing Company,"
''New York Times'' (December 29, 1984). By this time, World Publishing was producing 12 million books a year, one of only three American publishers to produce that much volume. In 1974, the Times Mirror Co. sold World Publishing to the U.K.-based

Collins Publishers HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the " Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette, Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster. HarperCollins is h ...

, with the trade publishing remaining with Times Mirror's

New American Library The New American Library (also known as NAL) is an American publisher based in New York, founded in 1948. Its initial focus was affordable paperback reprints of classics and scholarly works as well as popular and pulp fiction, but it now publi ...

subsidiary. In 1980 Collins broke up World Publishing, selling its children's line to the

Putnam Publishing Group G. P. Putnam's Sons is an American book publisher based in New York City, New York. Since 1996, it has been an imprint of the Penguin Group. History The company began as Wiley & Putnam with the 1838 partnership between George Palmer Putnam and ...

, the dictionary line to

Simon and 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 ...

, and otherwise ridding itself of World's assets.

Titles published (selected)

* Anshen, Ruth Nanda and

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (; 1 May 1881 – 10 April 1955) was a French Jesuit, Catholic priest, scientist, palaeontologist, theologian, and teacher. He was Darwinian and progressive in outlook and the author of several influential theologi ...

. ''Letters to Two Friends, 1926-1952'' (Perspectives in Humanism series) * Bassett, James. '' Harm's Way'' (1962) * Behn, Harry ''

The Faraway Lurs Harry Behn (September 24, 1898September 6, 1973) was an American former screenwriter. He was involved in writing scenes and continuities for a number of screenplays, including the war film '' The Big Parade ''in 1925, and '' Hell's Angels''. ...

'' (1963) * Carle, Eric. ''

'' (1969) * Chandler, Raymond. ''Time to Kill''. (1946) ASIN B0007ED26I * Crichton, Michael (writing as John Lange). ''

The Venom Business ''The Venom Business'' is Michael Crichton's seventh published novel, and the fifth under his pseudonym John Lange. It was released in 1969 by The World Publishing Company (New York) under the pseudonym of John Lange. It was the first hard cov ...

'' (1969) * Cope, Myron. ''The Game That Was: The Early Days of Pro Football'' (1970) * de Beauvoir, Simone. ''

The Mandarins ''The Mandarins'' () is a 1954 roman à clef by Simone de Beauvoir, for which she won the Prix Goncourt, awarded to the best and most imaginative prose work of the year, in 1954. ''The Mandarins'' was first published in English in 1956 (in a tra ...

'' (1954) — first English-language edition * Dreiser, Theodore. '' Trilogy of Desire'' (1972) * Hammett, Dashiell ** ''Blood Money'' (1943) — hardcover edition of ''Bestseller Mystery'' B40 (Tower imprint) ** ''Dashiell Hammett's Mystery Omnibus'' (1944) — includes '' The Maltese Falcon'' and ''

The Glass Key ''The Glass Key'' is a novel by American writer Dashiell Hammett. First published as a serial in '' Black Mask'' magazine in 1930, it then was collected in 1931 (in London; the American edition followed 3 months later). It tells the story of a ...

'' ** ''The Adventures of Sam Spade and Other Stories'' (1945) — hardcover edition of ''Bestseller Mystery'' B50 * Havinghurst, Walter (1958). ''Vein of Iron: The Pickands-Mather Story'' *

Hobsbawm, Eric Eric John Ernest Hobsbawm (; 9 June 1917 – 1 October 2012) was a British historian of the rise of industrial capitalism, socialism and nationalism. His best-known works include his tetralogy about what he called the "long 19th century" ('' T ...

** '' The Age of Revolution: Europe 1789–1848'' (1962) ** ''

Bandits Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, kidnapping, and murder, e ...

'' (1969) * Höss, Rudolph. ''Commandant of Auschwitz: The Autobiography of Rudolf Höß''. Translated by

Constantine FitzGibbon Major Robert Louis Constantine Lee-Dillon FitzGibbonBurke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage 2003, vol. 1, p. 1150 RSL (8 June 1919 – 25 March 1983) was an American-born Irish-British historian, translator and novelist.John Wakeman, World Aut ...

(1959) * Kazin, Alfred, ed. ''

F. Scott Fitzgerald Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940), widely known simply as Scott Fitzgerald, was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and exces ...

: The Man and His Work'' (1951) * Kramer, Jerry &

Dick Schaap Richard Jay Schaap (September 27, 1934 – December 21, 2001) was an American sportswriter, broadcaster, and author. Early life and education Born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, and raised in Freeport, New York, on Long Island, Schaap began w ...

. '' Instant Replay: The Green Bay Diary of Jerry Kramer'' (1968) * Lowry, Malcolm. '' October Ferry to Gabriola'' (1970) * Ludlum, Robert ** ''

The Scarlatti Inheritance ''The Scarlatti Inheritance'' is the first of 27 thriller novels written (the last four of them left in the form of manuscripts, later finalized by ghost writers) by American author Robert Ludlum. Premise In Washington during World War II, wo ...

'' (1971) ** ''

The Osterman Weekend ''The Osterman Weekend'' is a thriller novel by Robert Ludlum. First published in 1972, it was the author's second book. The novel was the basis for the film of the same title. Plot John Tanner, Director of News of a US TV network, is convin ...

'' (1972) * Mailer, Norman. ''

Miami and the Siege of Chicago ''Miami and the Siege of Chicago: An Informal History of the Republican and Democratic Conventions of 1968'' is a non-fiction novel written by Norman Mailer which covers the Republican and Democratic national party political conventions of ...

'' (1968) * Moskowitz, Sam, ed. ** '' Modern Masterpieces of Science Fiction'' (1965) ** '' Seekers of Tomorrow: Masters of Modern Science Fiction'' (1965) ** '' Masterpieces of Science Fiction'' (1966) ** '' Explorers of the Infinite: Shapers of Science Fiction'' (1966) * Norton, Andre. ''

Storm Over Warlock ''Storm Over Warlock'' is a science fiction novel written by Andre Norton and published in 1960 by the World Publishing Company. The story combines science fiction with fantasy, technology with witchcraft, in a way typical of Norton's works. ...

'' (1960) * Peyton, K. M. ''

The Edge of the Cloud ''The Edge of the Cloud'' is a 1969 historical novel written for children or young adults by K. M. Peyton. It was the second book in Peyton's original Flambards trilogy, comprising three books published by Oxford with illustrations by Victor Ambr ...

'' (1969) * Rabi, Isidor Isaac. ''Science: The Center of Culture'' (1970) * Rand, Ayn. ''

The Romantic Manifesto ''The Romantic Manifesto: A Philosophy of Literature'' is a collection of essays regarding the nature of art by the philosopher Ayn Rand. It was first published in 1969, with a second, revised edition published in 1975. Most of the essays are repr ...

'' (1969) * Sauvage, Leo. ''The

Oswald Oswald may refer to: People *Oswald (given name), including a list of people with the name * Oswald (surname), including a list of people with the name Fictional characters *Oswald the Reeve, who tells a tale in Geoffrey Chaucer's ''The Canterbu ...

Affair'' (1966, 1967) * Scott-Heron, Gil. ''The Vulture'' (1970) * Southern, Terry. ''

Blue Movie ''Blue Movie'' (also known as ''Fuck'' and ''F,k'') is a 1969 American erotic film written, produced and directed by Andy Warhol. It is the first adult erotic film depicting explicit sex to receive wide theatrical release in the United States ...

'' (1970) * Talese, Gay ** '' The Kingdom and the Power'' (1969) ** '' Honor Thy Father'' (1971) * Thompson, Bard. ''Liturgies of the Western Church'' (1961) * Westlake, Donald E. (writing as

Richard Stark Donald Edwin Westlake (July 12, 1933 – December 31, 2008) was an American writer with more than one hundred novels and non-fiction books to his credit. He specialized in crime fiction, especially comic capers, with an occasional foray int ...

) ''Lemons Never Lie'' (1971) *Twain, Mark, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1947). * Woodcock, George. ''

Anarchism Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...

'' (1962) * Wright, Richard ** ''

The Color Curtain African-American author Richard Wright (author), Richard Wright's book ''The Color Curtain: A Report on the Bandung Conference'' (Cleveland and New York: World, 1956) is based on his impressions and analysis of the postcolonial Bandung Conference, ...

'' (1956) ** ''Eight Men'' (1961)

Book series

* Forum Books * Holly Books * Illustrated Gift Editions * Jewish Publication Society Series (jointly published with

Jewish Publication Society of America The Jewish Publication Society (JPS), originally known as the Jewish Publication Society of America, is the oldest nonprofit, nondenominational publisher of Jewish works in English. Founded in Philadelphia in 1888, by Reform Rabbi Joseph Krauskop ...

) * Living Age Books * Living Library * Meridian Books (also published by The Noonday Press) * Meridian Giants * Perspectives in Humanism * Shepherd Books * Tower Books * World Books * World Foreign Language Record Series

Imprints

* International Fiction LibraryInternational Fiction Library
seriesofseries.com. Retrieved 8 September 2020. * Meridian Books

References

External links

World Publishing Company Records
at

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a Public university, public research university in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio located in Kent State University at Ashtabula, Ashtabula, Kent State ...

Finding aid for the World Publishing Company Records
at

Western Reserve Historical Society The Western Reserve Historical Society (WRHS) is a historical society in Cleveland, Ohio. The society operates the Cleveland History Center, a collection of museums in University Circle. The society was founded in 1867, making it the oldest ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:World Publishing Company) Defunct book publishing companies of the United States Book publishing companies based in New York (state) Book publishing companies based in Ohio Publishing companies based in New York City Publishing companies established in 1902 1902 establishments in Ohio 1980 disestablishments in New York (state) 1962 mergers and acquisitions 1974 mergers and acquisitions