NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� One of the world鈥檚 largest and Simon & Schuster, celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.
To mark the centennial, the publisher has unveiled a list of 100 notable releases 鈥� a blend of bestsellers, prize winners, headline makers and cultural sensations. The list tells many stories, through the books selected, not selected, and the evolution of what has been highlighted.
鈥淎 group of Simon & Schuster staffers took on the daunting challenge of selecting 100 titles from our history that are believed to best represent the breadth and depth of the company鈥檚 publishing program, across imprints,鈥� the publisher announced Wednesday.
The list begins at the very beginning, in 1924, with a release that would help define the publisher鈥檚 long history of tapping into popular tastes. 鈥淭he Cross Word Puzzle Book,鈥� by F. Gregory Hartswick, Prosper Buranelli, and Margaret Petherbridge, was compiled by founders Richard Simon and Max Schuster from puzzles in the New York World, a prominent newspaper at the time. 鈥淭he Cross Word Puzzle Book,鈥� which came with an attached pencil, is considered the first publication of its kind.
Signature S&S works have since included 1974 bestseller 鈥淎ll the President's Men,鈥� which and Joseph Heller鈥檚 anti-war classic 鈥淐atch-22.鈥� The list also features prize-winning history ( 鈥滷rederick Douglass,鈥� 鈥淧arting the Waters鈥�), literary fiction ( 鈥淯nderworld鈥�), commercial fiction ( 鈥淲here Are the Children?鈥�), Dr. Benjamin Spock鈥檚 revolutionary 鈥淭he Common Sense Baby and Childcare Book鈥� and the children's favorite 鈥淓loise,鈥� by Kay Thompson and illustrator Hilary Knight.
鈥淲e wanted to convey the influence that these books had on culture over the past century, and the sweep of what we published,鈥� says Simon & Schuster CEO
No author could be included twice and books no longer available through Simon & Schuster were left off, such as a major release from the publisher in the 1950s: Sloan Wilson鈥檚 novel about a World War II veteran鈥檚 struggles back home, 鈥淭he Man in the Gray Flannel Suit.鈥�
From 1924-1976, all of the authors listed are white, a reflection of what Karp calls 鈥渢he tenor of the times.鈥� Few writers of color had mainstream success during that era and those who did published their most notable works elsewhere 鈥� and with Random House, with Harper (now HarperCollins), with Dial Press, with Doubleday, and with Knopf.
鈥淭hey (Richard Simon and Max Schuster) were a couple of white guys who had lists of book ideas they wanted to publish and I would suspect that a lot of those ideas reflected their cultural sensibilities and personal interests,鈥� Karp says.
A handful of Black writers appear from 1977-2000, starting with 鈥渇or colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf,鈥� before the list broadly diversifies in the 21st century. More recent selections include 鈥淭he Summer I Turned Pretty,鈥� Carlos Eire鈥檚 鈥淲aiting for Snow in Havana,鈥� 鈥淭he Emperor of All Maladies,鈥� 鈥淪ing, Unburied, Sing,鈥� 鈥淟ong Way Down鈥� and, the final entry, a book from 2023, acclaimed memoir 鈥淗ow to Say Babylon.鈥�
鈥淚 have distinct memories of being in the room when some of these books were being presented and feeling the energy they generated," says committee member Wendy Sheanin, Simon & Schuster's vice president for independent retail sales. 鈥�'How to Say Babylon' had that kind of energy and felt like a book that people will keep on reading.鈥�
Karp calls the committee discussions 鈥渓ively,鈥� and insists he didn鈥檛 try to 鈥渂ig foot鈥� anybody. One of his personal favorites, was not included, although he did argue successfully for memoir, 鈥淏orn to Run.鈥�
鈥淚 am glad my colleagues agreed,鈥� Karp says.
Karp openly questioned one pick. Pulitzer Prize-winning 鈥淣o Ordinary Time,鈥� about Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt during World War II, was chosen over her Abraham Lincoln biography. 鈥淭eam of Rivals,鈥� the story of Lincoln鈥檚 inner circle of former presidential contenders, was read by among others.
鈥溾�楴o Ordinary Time鈥� is a wonderful book, but 鈥楾eam of Rivals鈥� influenced Barack Obama鈥檚 decision to make Hillary Clinton secretary of state,鈥� Karp says. 鈥淭hat book actually had an influence on the course of events.鈥�
Like many leading publishers, Simon & Schuster began as an independently owned company and vastly expanded after the 1960s. Simon & Schuster鈥檚 founders had both died by the end of the '60s, and the company changed ownership several times before by the private equity firm KKR.
Along the way, Simon & Schuster acquired numerous other publishers, whose books are now part of the S&S catalog and its centennial list. Several older selections, including F. Scott Fitzgerald鈥檚 鈥淭he Great Gatsby,鈥� Ernest Hemingway鈥檚 鈥淎 Farewell to Arms鈥� and Alan Paton鈥檚 鈥淐ry, the Beloved Country鈥� were published by Scribner, which Simon & Schuster acquired in 1994. Other works first released elsewhere include and B.F. Skinner鈥檚 鈥淪cience and Human Behavior.鈥�
The list of 100 not only showcases the different kinds of books that get published, but the different ways they caught on.
Some books seemed destined from the start to make news, whether 鈥淎ll the President鈥檚 Men,鈥� or Walter Isaacson鈥檚 鈥淪teve Jobs.鈥� Others were surprise hits that ended up selling millions, and Fredrik Backman's novel The list also includes what Richard Simon called 鈥減lanned publishing,鈥� projects initiated by Simon & Schuster, such as Dale Carnegie鈥檚 鈥淗ow to Win Friends and Influence People鈥� 鈥� a perennial bestseller released in the 1930s after S&S executive Leon Shimkin sat in on a course given by Carnegie.
鈥淚 think with the original publishers, Simon and Schuster, part of their genius is they would marry ideas to authors,鈥� says Karp, who also cites such recent examples as bestselling book about "That's something we still look to do 鈥� find the right author for the book that we think readers want."
Other highlights of the publisher's centenary will include promotional giveaways, a dedicated website and a spring gala featuring Woodward and dozens of other authors.
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This story has been updated to correct the last name of Wendy Sheanin and the first name of Fredrik Backman.
Hillel Italie, The Associated Press
