When was Basic Books founded?
Basic Books was founded in 1950. It originated as a small Greenwich Village book club marketed to psychoanalysts before Arthur Rosenthal transformed it into a publisher of original books.
Questions about Basic Books
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who owns Basic Books today?
Basic Books is now an imprint of Hachette Book Group. Hachette acquired it in 2016 when it purchased the publishing business of Perseus Books Group, which had owned Basic since 1997.
What subjects does Basic Books publish?
Basic Books publishes in psychology, philosophy, economics, science, politics, sociology, current affairs, and history. The press focuses on serious nonfiction aimed at educated general readers.
What role did Irving Kristol play at Basic Books?
Irving Kristol, often called the godfather of neoconservatism, joined Basic Books in 1960. He helped the press expand from its behavioral-science roots into the broader social sciences.
What happened to Basic Books in 1997?
In 1997, HarperCollins announced it would merge Basic Books into its trade program, which would have ended the imprint. That same year, the newly created Perseus Books Group purchased Basic and preserved it as a distinct publishing identity.
What were the earliest major books published by Basic Books?
Among Basic Books' earliest major successes was Ernest Jones's The Life and Work of Sigmund Freud. The early list also included works by Claude Levi-Strauss, Jean Piaget, and Erik Erikson, drawn primarily from the behavioral sciences.