Arbor House

Arbor House was an independent publishing house founded by Donald Fine in 1969. Specialising in hard cover publications, Arbor House published works by Hortense Calisher, Ken Follett, Cynthia Freeman, Elmore Leonard and Irwin Shaw before being acquired by the Hearst Corporation in 1979 to move into paperback publishing. [cite news |first=Helen |last=Dudar |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=An attorney turns to fiction |url=http://vachss.com/av_articles/rtcl_wsjr.html |work= |publisher=The Wall Street Journal |date=1985-09-16 |accessdate=2007-12-10 ] Arbor House became an imprint of William Morrow & Company in 1988.cite news |first=Edwin |last=McDowell |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Arbor to become a Morrow imprint |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE6D91730F930A35755C0A961948260 |work= |publisher=N.Y. Times |date=1987-06-03 |accessdate=2007-12-10]

History

Publisher Donald Fine founded Arbor House in Westminster, Maryland in 1969, using a $5,000 loan.cite news |first=Dinitia |last=Smith |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Donald Fine, 75, publisher of suspenseful best sellers |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F03E6DA133FF935A2575BC0A961958260 |work= |publisher=N.Y. Times |date=1997-08-16 |accessdate=2007-12-10 ] Fine was vice president of Dell Publishing and a co-founder of Delacorte Press, before starting his own business. Arbor House was acquired by the Hearst Corporation in 1978 for $1.5 million. Industry officials had previously speculated that Arbor House would merge with William Morrow & Company, another company in the Hearst Corporation, unless it published a number of best selling books. Arbor House published Elmore Leonard's "Bandits" and Sydney Biddle Barrows' "The Mayflower Madam", which were best sellers, but in January 1987, Arbor House reduced its publishing list from 70 books per annum to approximately 40 books.]

In June 1987, it was announced that Arbor House would become an imprint of William Morrow & Company from January 1988. Arbor House's employees transferred to William Morrow & Company.

Works published

Notable works and authors published by Arbor House include:
*"Replay", Ken Grimwood (1987)
*"Bandits", Elmore Leonard (1987)
*"Sign of Chaos", Roger Zelazny (1987)
*"The Pianoplayers", Anthony Burgess (1986)
*"Kiteworld", Keith Roberts (1986)
*"A Door into Ocean", Joan Slonczewski (1986)
*"A Father's Word", Richard G. Stern (1986) [cite news |first=John |last=Bowers |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Son of a sad sack |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DE4D71638F936A25755C0A960948260 |work= |publisher=N.Y. Times |date=1986-06-15 |accessdate=2007-12-10 ]
*"Power on Earth: Michele Sindona's Explosive Story", Nick Tosches (1986) [cite news |first=Edwin |last=McDowell |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Book set on Sindona, Italian banker |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50710FD39580C758EDDAA0894DE484D81&showabstract=1 |work= |publisher=N.Y. Times |date=1986-03-26 |accessdate=2007-12-10 ]
*"Blood of Amber", Roger Zelazny (1986)
*"Blood Music", Greg Bear (1985)
*"No More Vietnams", Richard Nixon (1985) [cite news |first=James |last=Chace |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=How America 'lost the peace' |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9407EFD61438F934A35757C0A963948260 |work= |publisher=N.Y. Times |date=1985-04-07 |accessdate=2007-12-10 ]
*"Trumps of Doom", Roger Zelazny (1985)
*"The Mayflower Madam", Sydney Biddle Barrows (1984)

References