Putnam

1996 - the Pearson Group purchases the Putnam Berkley Publishing Group from MCA, Inc., in late 1996 after MCA's parent company, Seagram Company, says it wants out of book publishing, merging Putnam with Penguin (US) as Penguin Putnam, Inc. with Phyllis Grann as president of the merged company (John F. Baker & Jim Milliot, Pearson Reported About to Buy Putnam Group, PW, Oct. 21, 1996, at 10; Jim Milliot, Pearson Acquires Putnam Berkley for $336 Million, PW, Dec. 2, 1996, at 10; Jim Milliot, Penguin, Putnam Consolidate Sales Management, PW, Feb. 10, 1997, at 11.)

1995 - after rumors of a deal on Apr. 7, 1995 (Late Bulletins: Seagram Ready to Buy Putnam Parent MCA, PW, Apr. 10, 1995, at 7), Seagram Company purchases 80% interest in Matsushita Electric Industrial Company, giving Seagram control of MCA and its Putnam Berkley Group (Jim Milliot, Role of Putnam in New MCA to Be Determined, PW, Apr. 17, 1995, at 16).

1990 - after talks between MCA and Matsushita Electric Industrial Company (MCA Talks with Matsushita, PW, Oct. 12, 1990, at 10), Matsushita purchases MCA, including its Putnam Berkley Group, late in 1990 (Madalynne Reuter, MCA's Takeover Raises Questions on Autonomy, PW, Dec. 7, 1990, at 14).

1982 - Putnam Publishing Group, a subsidiary of MCA, purchases Grosset & Dunlap, including Charter Communications, the Grosset subsidiary that publishes Ace Books, from Filmways in June 1982; Putnam organizes Ace Books under its Berkley/Jove subsidiary (Putnam to Buy Grosset and Ace from Filmways, PW, June 4, 1982, at 14).

1978 - Walter J. Minton resigns as president of G. P. Putnam's Sons after 23 years heading the firm on Dec. 8, 1978; the MCA Publishing Group appoints Peter Israel president of Putnam (i.e., the Putnam Publishing Group) on Dec. 11, 1978 (Minton Leaves Putnam; Israel Is Named President, PW, Dec. 25, 1978, at 21-22).

1978 - MCA, Inc., forms new MCA Publishing Group, which includes G. P. Putnam's Sons, including its subsidiaries Berkley Publishing Corporation, Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, and Richard Marek Publishers, Inc.; New Times Publishing Company, MCA's magazine subsidiary; and the MCA Publishing Division, which creates and licenses books related to Universal film properties, on June 27, 1978 (Stanley Newman to Head New MCA Publishing Group, PW, July 3, 1978, at 23).

1977 - Richard Marek, vice-president and editor-in-chief of the Dial Press, departs Dial to form his own imprint, Richard Marek, Publishers, as a wholly-owned subsidiary of G. P. Putnam's Sons, in January 1977 (Marek Leaves Dial for Own Putnam Imprint, PW, Jan. 3, 1977, at 18).

1975 - MCA, Inc. buys G. P. Putnam's Sons, parent company of Coward, McCann & Geoghegan and Berkley Publishing Corporation (Merger Planned By MCA and Putnam, PW, Sept. 29, 1975, at 16).

1973 - ITT enters into merger discussions with G. P. Putnam's Sons early in 1973, but Putnam halts the merger because of unsettled market conditions in May 1973 (Merger Planned by Putnam and ITT, PW, Feb. 5, 1973, at 56; ITT Share Value Declines; Putnam Halts Merger, PW, May 21, 1973, at 27).

1972 - Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. enters into merger discussions with G. P. Putnam's Sons to acquire the firm as a wholly-owned subsidiary of HBJ in July 1972, though the plan is later called off (Harcourt Brace to Buy Putnam for $14.2 Million, PW, July 10, 1972, at 30; referenced in Merger Planned By MCA and Putnam, PW, Sept. 29, 1975, at 16).

1967 - G. P. Putnam's Sons goes public (Robert D. McFadden, Walter J. Minton, Publisher Who Defied Censors, Dies at 96, NY TIMES (Nov. 20, 2019), https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/20/books/walter-minton-dead.html).

1965 - G. P. Putnam's Sons acquires the Berkley Publishing Corporation, which will operate as an independent unit under Putnam with its existing staff and leadership (Putnam Acquires Berkley Publishing Corp., PW, Nov. 8, 1965, at 35).

1955 - Walter J. Minton succeeds his father, Melville Minton, as president of G. P. Putnam's Sons following the elder Minton's death (Obituary Notes: MELVILLE MINTON, PW, Aug. 6, 1955, at 533-534; Walter J. Minton, PW, Oct. 29, 1955, at 1889).

1936 - G. P. Putnam's Sons forges a closer relationship with Coward-McCann, Inc., already in cooperative agreement with regard to shipping, billing, and shipping, moving Coward-McCann into the same building as Putnam and combining their manufacturing on Feb. 1, 1936 (Coward-McCann and Putnam's Form Cooperative Connection, PW, Feb. 1, 1936, at 608).

1934 - Melville Minton and Earl H. Balch acquire controlling interest in Putnam (Putnam Celebrates 100th Year, PW, July 2, 1938, at 29-33, 33).

1932 - Melville Minton is elected president of G. P. Putnam's Sons (Putnam Celebrates 100th Year, PW, July 2, 1938, at 29-33, 33).

1930 - George H. Putnam, head of the firm since his father's death in 1872, dies on Feb. 27, 1930 (Dean of American Publishers: Major George Haven Putnam Gave a Long Life to Public Causes and His Profession's Advancement, PW, Mar. 1, 1930, at 1086-1088); the firm merges with Minton, Balch & Company, specialists in biography, on Aug. 15, 1930 (Realignment in Old Putnam Firm: George Palmer Putnam Sells His Interest to His Cousin Palmer Cosslett Putnam, Son of Late Major Putnam, PW, Aug. 16, 1930, at 588-589; New Members of Putnam Firm, PW, Aug. 30, 1930, at 765).

1872 - George Palmer Putnam dies in December 1872 at age 52, and his three sons, George Haven, Bishop, and Irving, who became partner earlier in the year, inherit control of the firm (George Haven Putnam, GEORGE PALMER PUTNAM: A MEMOIR 359 (G. P. Putnam's Sons 1912); George Haven Putnam, MEMORIES OF A PUBLISHER, 1865-1915 60 (G. P. Putnam's Sons 1915).

1871 - son Bishop Putnam joins, and the firm changes its name to G. P. Putnam's Sons (George Haven Putnam, GEORGE PALMER PUTNAM: A MEMOIR 359 (G. P. Putnam's Sons 1912).

1866 - George Haven Putnam joins his father in business, and they change the name of the firm to G. P. Putnam & Son (George Haven Putnam, GEORGE PALMER PUTNAM: A MEMOIR 356-358 (G. P. Putnam's Sons 1912).

1848 - George Putnam dissolves his partnership with John Wiley, who goes on to form Wiley & Sons, and establishes G. Putnam Broadway (Putnam Celebrates 100th Year, PW, July 2, 1938, at 29-33, 30).

1838 - George Palmer Putnam and John Wiley form a publishing partnership, Wiley & Putnam (Putnam Celebrates 100th Year, PW, July 2, 1938, at 29-33, 29).

Sources

George Haven Putnam, GEORGE PALMER PUTNAM: A MEMOIR (G. P. Putnam's Sons 1912).

George Haven Putnam, MEMORIES OF A PUBLISHER, 1865-1915 (G. P. Putnam's Sons 1915).

Cult of the Colophon, PW, Aug. 6, 1927, at 384-389 (Putnam's colophon is on page 385).

Dean of American Publishers: Major George Haven Putnam Gave a Long Life to Public Causes and His Profession's Advancement, PW, Mar. 1, 1930, at 1086-1088.

Realignment in Old Putnam Firm: George Palmer Putnam Sells His Interest to His Cousin Palmer Cosslett Putnam, Son of Late Major Putnam, PW, Aug. 16, 1930, at 588-589.

New Members of Putnam Firm, PW, Aug. 30, 1930, at 765.

Coward-McCann and Putnam's Form Cooperative Connection, PW, Feb. 1, 1936, at 608.

Putnam Celebrates 100th Year, PW, July 2, 1938, at 29-33.

Obituary Notes: Melville Minton, PW, Aug. 6, 1955, at 533-534; WALTER J. MINTON, PW, Oct. 29, 1955, at 1889.

Putnam Acquires Berkley Publishing Corp., PW, Nov. 8, 1965, at 35.

Harcourt Brace to Buy Putnam for $14.2 Million, PW, July 10, 1972, at 30; referenced in MERGER PLANNED BY MCA AND PUTNAM, PW, Sept. 29, 1975, at 16.

Merger Planned by Putnam and ITT, PW, Feb. 5, 1973, at 56.

ITT Share Value Declines; Putnam Halts Merger, PW, May 21, 1973, at 27.

Merger Planned By MCA and Putnam, PW, Sept. 29, 1975, at 16.

Marek Leaves Dial for Own Putnam Imprint, PW, Jan. 3, 1977, at 18.

Stanley Newman to Head New MCA Publishing Group, PW, July 3, 1978, at 23.

Minton Leaves Putnam; Israel Is Named President, PW, Dec. 25, 1978, at 21-22.

Putnam to Buy Grosset and Ace from Filmways, PW, June 4, 1982, at 14.

MCA Talks with Matsushita, PW, Oct. 12, 1990, at 10.

Madalynne Reuter, MCA's Takeover Raises Questions on Autonomy, PW, Dec. 7, 1990, at 14.

Late Bulletins: Seagram Ready to Buy Putnam Parent MCA, PW, Apr. 10, 1995, at 7.

Jim Milliot, Role of Putnam in New MCA to Be Determined, PW, Apr. 17, 1995, at 16.

John F. Baker & Jim Milliot, Pearson Reported About to Buy Putnam Group, PW, Oct. 21, 1996, at 10.

Jim Milliot, Pearson Acquires Putnam Berkley for $336 Million, PW, Dec. 2, 1996, at 10.

Jim Milliot, Penguin, Putnam Consolidate Sales Management, PW, Feb. 10, 1997, at 11.

Robert D. McFadden, Walter J. Minton, Publisher Who Defied Censors, Dies at 96, NY TIMES (Nov. 20, 2019), https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/20/books/walter-minton-dead.html.