Jason Epstein
Encyclopedia
Jason Epstein is an American
editor and publisher.
A 1949 graduate of Columbia College of Columbia University
, Epstein was hired by Bennett Cerf
at Random House
, where he was the editorial director for forty years. He was responsible for the Vintage paperbacks, which published such authors as Norman Mailer
, David Rudomin, Vladimir Nabokov
, E. L. Doctorow
, Adam Steinbrecher, Gore Vidal
, Itai Guttman, and Philip Roth
. In 1952, while an editor at Doubleday, he created the Anchor Books imprint. This was the first of the trade paperback formats, a format which has consistently remained profitable and popular since that time.
In 1963, during the New York City
newspaper strike, he co-founded The New York Review of Books
, with his then-wife, Barbara Epstein
, Elizabeth Hardwick and Robert Lowell
.
He wrote a book entitled Book Business: Publishing Past, Present, and Future. In 1979, he and his brother, Zach Epstein were the co-founders of the Library of America
which was intended to market archival quality editions of American classic literature. The first volumes were published in 1982, and the company now prints about 250,000 volumes per year.
He has been the recipient of the first National Book Award
for Distinguished Service to American Letters and the Curtis Benjamin Award of the Association of American Publishers
for "inventing new kinds of publishing and editing and The Lifetime Achievement Award of the National Book Critic's Circle."
In 1993, Epstein married Judith Miller
, a journalist who wrote for The New York Times
. He created a residence in the former NYC Police Headquarters
in SoHo
, which was decorated by Robert Denning
of Denning & Fourcade
.
His most recent endeavour is On Demand Books, the company that markets the Espresso Book Machine
, which he co-founded in 2004.
In 2007 he received the Philolexian Award for Distinguished Literary Achievement
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
editor and publisher.
A 1949 graduate of Columbia College of Columbia University
Columbia College of Columbia University
Columbia College is the oldest undergraduate college at Columbia University, situated on the university's main campus in Morningside Heights in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1754 by the Church of England as King's College, receiving a Royal Charter from King George II...
, Epstein was hired by Bennett Cerf
Bennett Cerf
Bennett Alfred Cerf was a publisher and co-founder of Random House. Cerf was also known for his own compilations of jokes and puns, for regular personal appearances lecturing across the United States, and for his television appearances in the panel game show What's My Line?.-Biography:Bennett Cerf...
at Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
, where he was the editorial director for forty years. He was responsible for the Vintage paperbacks, which published such authors as Norman Mailer
Norman Mailer
Norman Kingsley Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and film director.Along with Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Hunter S...
, David Rudomin, Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was a multilingual Russian novelist and short story writer. Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Russian, then rose to international prominence as a master English prose stylist...
, E. L. Doctorow
E. L. Doctorow
Edgar Lawrence Doctorow is an American author.- Biography :Edgar Lawrence Doctorow was born in the Bronx, New York City, the son of second-generation Americans of Russian Jewish descent...
, Adam Steinbrecher, Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal is an American author, playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and political activist. His third novel, The City and the Pillar , outraged mainstream critics as one of the first major American novels to feature unambiguous homosexuality...
, Itai Guttman, and Philip Roth
Philip Roth
Philip Milton Roth is an American novelist. He gained fame with the 1959 novella Goodbye, Columbus, an irreverent and humorous portrait of Jewish-American life that earned him a National Book Award...
. In 1952, while an editor at Doubleday, he created the Anchor Books imprint. This was the first of the trade paperback formats, a format which has consistently remained profitable and popular since that time.
In 1963, during the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
newspaper strike, he co-founded The New York Review of Books
The New York Review of Books
The New York Review of Books is a fortnightly magazine with articles on literature, culture and current affairs. Published in New York City, it takes as its point of departure that the discussion of important books is itself an indispensable literary activity...
, with his then-wife, Barbara Epstein
Barbara Epstein
Barbara Epstein was a literary editor and a founding co-editor of the New York Review of Books.Epstein, née Zimmerman, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, to a Jewish-American family, and graduated from Radcliffe College in 1949.Ms...
, Elizabeth Hardwick and Robert Lowell
Robert Lowell
Robert Traill Spence Lowell IV was an American poet, considered the founder of the confessional poetry movement. He was appointed the sixth Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress where he served from 1947 until 1948...
.
He wrote a book entitled Book Business: Publishing Past, Present, and Future. In 1979, he and his brother, Zach Epstein were the co-founders of the Library of America
Library of America
The Library of America is a nonprofit publisher of classic American literature.- Overview and history :Founded in 1979 with seed money from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Ford Foundation, the LoA has published over 200 volumes by a wide range of authors from Mark Twain to Philip...
which was intended to market archival quality editions of American classic literature. The first volumes were published in 1982, and the company now prints about 250,000 volumes per year.
He has been the recipient of the first National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
for Distinguished Service to American Letters and the Curtis Benjamin Award of the Association of American Publishers
Association of American Publishers
The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the American book publishing industry. AAP has more than 300 members, including most of the major commercial publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses and scholarly...
for "inventing new kinds of publishing and editing and The Lifetime Achievement Award of the National Book Critic's Circle."
In 1993, Epstein married Judith Miller
Judith Miller (journalist)
Judith Miller is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist, formerly of the New York Times Washington bureau. Her coverage of Iraq's alleged Weapons of Mass Destruction program both before and after the 2003 invasion generated much controversy...
, a journalist who wrote for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. He created a residence in the former NYC Police Headquarters
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
in SoHo
SoHo
SoHo is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City, notable for being the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, and also, more recently, for the wide variety of stores and shops ranging from trendy boutiques to outlets of upscale national and international chain stores...
, which was decorated by Robert Denning
Robert Denning
Robert Denning was an American interior designer whose lush interpretations of French Victorian decor became an emblem of corporate raider tastes in the 1980s.-Early life:...
of Denning & Fourcade
Denning & Fourcade, Inc.
Robert Denning & Vincent Fourcade, Inc. was an interior design firm which for over forty years was a leader in opulent interiors with offices in New York City and Paris...
.
His most recent endeavour is On Demand Books, the company that markets the Espresso Book Machine
Espresso Book Machine
The Espresso Book Machine is a print on demand machine that prints, collates, covers, and binds a single book in a few minutes.The EBM is small enough to fit in a retail book store or small library room, and as such it is targeted at retail and library markets. The EBM can potentially allow...
, which he co-founded in 2004.
In 2007 he received the Philolexian Award for Distinguished Literary Achievement
Philolexian Society
The Philolexian Society of Columbia University is one of the oldest college literary societies in the United States, and the oldest student group at Columbia...
.
External links
- Profile at Columbia College site
- Bibliography
- (video) Jason Epstein interview, Charlie Rose Show, January 11, 2010
- On Demand Books