Viking Press
Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheimer established Viking Press in New York City on the 1st of March 1925. They chose a name that evoked enterprise, adventure, and exploration for their new publishing house. Rockwell Kent drew the company's logo as a Viking ship to symbolize these values visually. The bold image appeared on book covers throughout the early decades of operation. This visual identity set the tone for a publisher eager to take risks with its catalog.
Monetary difficulties plagued the company during the mid-1970s despite its earlier success. Speculation pointed to shrinkage in the juvenile market as a primary cause of financial strain. Viking Press also lacked a textbook division which might have provided steady revenue streams. These factors combined to force a sale of the entire company to Penguin Books. The transaction closed in 1975 for twelve million dollars. That sum represented a significant exit for the original founders and their partners.
Viking Press founded Junior Books in 1933 to publish titles specifically for young readers. May Massee served as editor for the department's first publication called The Story About Ping. William Pene du Bois wrote and illustrated The Twenty-One Balloons which won the Newbery Medal in 1948. Corduroy became another enduring title within the children's catalog over subsequent years. The department later renamed itself Viking Children's Books while maintaining imprints like Viking Kestrel. Tamar Brazis took the role of vice president and publisher of Viking Children's Books in 2023.
The Viking Critical Library offered academic editions pairing literary texts with scholarly commentary. All titles printed the main text alongside critical essays and contextual documents from the author's oeuvre. Robert Scholes edited James Joyce's Dubliners for the series in 1996. Chester G. Anderson edited Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man in 1977. This was the only known title to include explanatory end notes within the collection. Sporadic publications occurred during the late 1970s and again in the late 1990s before dormancy set in. No new titles have been released since 1998 though existing ones remain available.
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Common questions
When was Viking Press established and by whom?
Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheimer established Viking Press in New York City on the 1st of March 1925.
Why did Viking Press sell to Penguin Books in 1975?
Monetary difficulties plagued the company during the mid-1970s due to shrinkage in the juvenile market and a lack of a textbook division. The transaction closed in 1975 for twelve million dollars.
What children's book won the Newbery Medal published by Viking Children's Books?
William Pene du Bois wrote and illustrated The Twenty-One Balloons which won the Newbery Medal in 1948. May Massee served as editor for the department's first publication called The Story About Ping.
Which titles were edited for the Viking Critical Library series?
Robert Scholes edited James Joyce's Dubliners for the series in 1996 while Chester G. Anderson edited Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man in 1977. No new titles have been released since 1998 though existing ones remain available.
Who are notable authors who contributed to Viking Adult or other imprints?
Stephen King, Joan Didion, S.E. Hinton, Richard Peck, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and David Foster Wallace appear among the roster of famous writers who contributed to the press. John Steinbeck published works through Viking Adult which faced legal trouble in 1946 due to his bold eulogy.