Frederick Roberts Rinehart

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Frederick Roberts Rinehart (1902–1981) was an American book publisher. Rinehart was a son of mystery writer Mary Roberts Rinehart, a brother of publisher Stanley Rinehart, Jr., and a brother of producer and playwright Alan Rinehart.

Early life, education, and career launch[]

Rinehart was born on 14 September 1902 in Allegheny, PA (which has since merged with Pittsburgh, PA).[1] He graduated from the Morristown School in Morristown, NJ (now Morristown-Beard School) in 1920. Rinehart then completed his bachelor's degree at Harvard University in 1924.[2] Rinehart began his career in publishing as a worker in the shipping room at George H. Doran. He later served as a book salesman for the company.[3]

Farrar and Rinehart[]

In 1929, Rinehart co-founded the publishing house Farrar & Rinehart with Stanley Rinehart and John C. Farrar.[4] Rinehart then served as a vice president. In just a few weeks, Rinehart and his associates began announcing a slate of upcoming publications:[5]

Under the leadership of Rinehart and his colleagues, Farrar & Rinehart achieved notoriety for publishing the works of Hervey Allen, Katherine Brush, and Mary Roberts Rinehart. The company also achieved recognition as one of the first publishers of . After Farrar & Rinehart acquired the Cosmopolitan Book Corporation from William Randolph Hearst in 1931, the company began a new division to publish college textbooks. Publishers Weekly awarded Farrar & Rinehart its first Carey–Thomas Award in 1943 for its publication of the Rivers of America Series by literary figures.[6]

Rinehart & Co[]

After Farrar left to start Farrar & Straus (now Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 1946, Farrar & Rinehart changes its name to Rinehart & Company. The new name reflected joint corporate leadership of Rinehart and Frederick Rinehart. Rinehart served as the vice president and Stanley Rinehart served as the president.[7]

Rinehart & Company achieved recognition for publishing the first books in Charles Schulz's Peanuts series, as well as works by Faith Baldwin, Stephen Vincent Benet, Norman Mailer, and Erich Fromm.[6] In 1953, the company published The Wonderful World of Insects [8] as the first book printed by the Photon (known as the Lumitype in France), a photographic type composing machine invented by René Alphonse Higonnet and Louis Moyroud.[6] The Photon machine (known as the Lumitype in France) used a to print text and images on paper, which made obsolete.

Seven years later, Rinehart & Company merged with Henry Holt and Company and John C. Winston Co. to form Holt, Rinehart, and Winston (now the Holt McDougal Division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).[9] Rinehart served as a vice president at the new company[10] before retiring from publishing in 1963.[3]

Philanthropy[]

Rinehart served as President of the Mary Roberts Rinehart Foundation.[3] Incorporated in 1958, the foundation provides grants and editorial advice to promising writers. It also annually awards the Mary Roberts Rinehart Award to a woman writer of non-fiction.[11]

Family[]

Rinehart married Elizabeth Sherwood from Geneva, NY. They had one child, Cornelia.[12]

References[]

  1. ^ Cohn, Jan (1980). Improbable Fiction: The Life of Mary Roberts Rinehart.
  2. ^ Tabbel, John (1978). A history of book publishing in the United States: The golden age between two wars : 1920–1940. "I was born September 14, 1902 in Allegheny, now a part of Pittsburgh, Pa., of two parents. I went to public and private schools there and in Sewickley until, in 1917, I went to Morristown School in New Jersey...and then to Harvard, which I entered on condition, remained at on probation, graduated from without honors. This was in 1924. ... I started with George H. Doran in 1924, working in the shipping room as long as Mark Weisman could stand."
  3. ^ a b c "Frederick Rinehart, 78, Led Publishing Houses". The New York Times. 17 June 1971.
  4. ^ "FORM PUBLISHING FIRM.; S.M. Rinehart Jr. and John Farrar Announce New Concern". The New York Times. 5 June 1929.
  5. ^ "Books and Authors". The New York Times. 28 July 1929.
  6. ^ a b c "Stanley Rinehart, Jr., Publisher, Dies". The New York Times. 27 April 1969.
  7. ^ "Books—Authors". The New York Times. 1 January 1946.
  8. ^ Gaul, Albro (1953). The Wonderful World of Insects. Rinehart and Company.
  9. ^ "President Is Elected By Merged Publisher". The New York Times. 4 March 1960.
  10. ^ "Books—Authors; Crime Club Prolific". The New York Times. 7 November 1962.
  11. ^ "Mary Roberts Rinehart Award Presentation: Katherine Boo". Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  12. ^ "A Daughter to Mrs. F. R. Rinehart". The New York Times. 22 November 1930.
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