Evelyn Shrifte

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Evelyn Shrifte was the president and publisher of Vanguard Press from 1952 until it was sold to Random House in 1988. She was known for publishing works of authors who were not well-recognized at the time she discovered them.

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Education and career

Shrifte earned her bachelor's degree from Barnard College in 1921. She then worked for The Musical Quarterly, a journal on music, and worked in a New York City bookstore. [1] In 1929 she joined Vanguard publishing; she became president, and publisher, of the company in 1952. [2] [3] She remained president of the company until it was sold in 1988 to Random House.Shrifte was known for her work finding new authors, most notably her discovery of Saul Bellow, Dr. Seuss, and Joyce Carol Oates. [1] Her work with Oates extended over multiple years and Shrifte recognized 'genius' in Oates, [4] : 104, 169  and hosted parties to celebrate the release of books written by Oates. [4] : 162  Ultimately Oates left Vanguard for a different publisher despite her close relationship with Shrifte. [4] : 282–283 

Shrifte died on August 8, 1999. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Evelyn Shrifte, 98, Publishing House President". The New York Times. 1999-08-31. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  2. ↑ Columbia Library Columns. Vol. 40. Columbia University Libraries. New York : Friends of the Columbia Libraries. 1990.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  3. ↑ McDowell, Edwin (1987-10-25). "IDEAS & TRENDS; WOMEN MOVE TO THE TOP IN PUBLISHING". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  4. 1 2 3 Johnson, Greg (1998). Invisible writer : a biography of Joyce Carol Oates. Internet Archive. New York : Dutton. ISBN   978-0-525-94163-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)


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