New American Library#Imprints

{{Infobox publisher

| image = NewAmericanLibraryLogo.png

| image_size = 85px

| parent = Penguin Random House

| status =

| founded = 1948

| founder = Victor Weybright and Kurt Enoch

| successor =

| country = United States

| headquarters = New York City, New York, U.S.

| distribution =

| keypeople =

| publications =

| topics =

| genre =

| imprints = NAL Accent, Obsidian, Plume, Roc, Signet, Signet Eclipse, Signet Select

| revenue =

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| nasdaq =

}}

The New American Library (also known as NAL) is an American publisher based in New York, founded in 1948. Its initial focus was affordable paperback reprints of classics and scholarly works as well as popular and pulp fiction, but it now publishes trade and hardcover titles. It is currently an imprint of Penguin Random House; it was announced in 2015 that the imprint would publish only nonfiction titles.

History

= 20th century =

New American Library (NAL) began life as Penguin U.S.A. and as part of Penguin Books of England. Because of complexities of exchange control and import and export regulations—Penguin made the decision to terminate the association, and the company was renamed the New American Library of World Literature in 1948{{Cite web|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1948/02/01/96415865.html?pageNumber=76|title=People Who Read and Write| work= The New York Times| via=timesmachine.nytimes.com|access-date=2016-04-10}} when Penguin Books' assets (excluding the Penguin and Pelican trademarks) were bought by Victor Weybright and Kurt Enoch (formerly head of Albatross Books).

Enoch served as president of New American Library from 1947 to 1965.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/02/17/obituaries/kurt-enoch-86-pioneer-in-paperback-publishing.html|title=Kurt Enoch, 86; Pioneer In Paperback Publishing |last=Mitgang|first=Herbert|date=1982-02-17|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=2016-04-10}}{{Cite web |url= http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1965/02/03/95527334.html?pageNumber=32|title=John Budlong Heads Library of Literature |work= The New York Times| via= timesmachine.nytimes.com|access-date=2016-04-10}} He later served as head of Book Publishing at Times Mirror and then stepped down to Vice-President when John P. R. Budlong became president of New American Library in 1965.

NAL's productions were not limited to softbound reprints. Original works of mystery, romance, and adventure proved to be profitable and popular. In 1963 the company began publishing original publications in hardback format,{{Cite web |url= http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1963/06/17/89536801.html?pageNumber=21|title=Publisher Adds Hardcover Line |work= The New York Times| via= timesmachine.nytimes.com|access-date=2016-04-10}} such as the immensely popular James Bond "007" series written by Ian Fleming. NAL also published new "quality" paperback editions of classic works—for example, a Shakespeare series—which featured renowned scholars, editors, and translators. Many of those editions were oriented toward a high school and college readership. Those paperbound books included subjects in the humanities, the arts, and the sciences.

NAL also published at least two notable "magazines in book form": New World Writing in the 1950s and early 1960s, and New American Review in the latter 1960s and early 1970s (which then moved on to other publishers as American Review).

NAL enjoyed great success: by 1965, its Mentor and Signet books annually sold over 50 million volumes.{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}} In 1956 NAL reported that "over 3 million copies" of the Signet Books edition of From Here to Eternity had been sold.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/56781833@N06/6222041274/in/photolist-atPA6G-46DFBR-b8R5Ze-6UJ5nm-SmH296-oy788R-997UnX-atmw2c-rVcvA3-DbtErn-JgXSky Signet Books T1075 - James Jones - From Here to Eternity], flickr.com. Retrieved 30 September 2017.

The McCarthy era of the 1950s is notorious for its attacks upon communism and communistic influences in American life, and the object of federal investigations and trials was to eliminate this perceived threat and extinguish any and all communistic elements. NAL became involved with the censorship trials when certain books were deemed inflammatory and subsequently banned. Victor Weybright was asked to testify before a 1952 House Committee that examined pornography. Rather than accept government restrictions, Weybright endorsed a self-regulated censorship policy on the part of publishing companies.{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}} Weybright commented thus:

I pointed out with some justification, but certainly not as my basic argument, that the Mentor list was essential as part of the character and prestige of our company and an indispensable exhibit when our more daring fiction—by Faulkner, Farrell, and Caldwell—was attacked by the censors.{{cite book| first= Victor |last= Weybright| title= The Making of a Publisher| place= New York| publisher= Reynal and Company| year= 1967| page= 207| isbn= }}

New York University Library received the NAL archive as a gift from the NAL in the spring of 1965.{{Cite web|url=https://findingaids.library.nyu.edu/fales/mss_070/|title=New American Library Archive: NYU Special Collections Finding Aids|website=findingaids.library.nyu.edu}}

= Acquisitions and mergers =

NAL witnessed several changes in ownership beginning in the 1960s. In 1960 Times Mirror of Los Angeles bought NAL;{{Cite web |url= http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1960/03/25/105423215.html?pageNumber=37|title=OTHER SALES, MERGERS; Times-Mirror Co. Companies Plan Sales, Mergers| work= The New York Times| via=timesmachine.nytimes.com|access-date=2016-04-10}} however, NAL continued to operate autonomously within the Mirror Company and management remained unchanged. In 1983 Odyssey Partners and Ira J. Hechler bought NAL from the Times Mirror Company for over $50 million. At the time of the sale New American Library had over 1 billion paperback books in print.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/11/08/arts/times-mirror-is-selling-new-american-library.html |title= Times Mirror is Selling New American Library |last=Mcdowell|first=Edwin|date=1983-11-08|newspaper=The New York Times| issn= 0362-4331 |access-date=2016-04-16}}

In 1985 New American Library acquired E.P. Dutton, an independent hardcover and trade publisher.{{Cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/07/books/ep-dutton-to-be-purchased-by-new-american-library.html|title= E.P. Dutton to be Purchased by New American Library |last=Mcdowell|first=Edwin|date=1985-02-07|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=2016-04-10}} During this period there was pressure for paperback publishers to add hardcover divisions. NAL had started publishing hardcovers in 1980 with mixed success and determined that Dutton would give them an edge in that space.

In 1987, the NAL was reintegrated into the Penguin Publishing Company.{{Cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/01/garden/penguin-agrees-to-buy-new-american-library.html |title= Penguin Agrees to Buy New American Library |last= Mcdowell |first= Edwin |date=1986-10-01| newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=2016-04-12}} Penguin had been purchased by Pearson PLC in 1970.

=21st century=

In 2013, Pearson PLC merged Penguin with Bertelsmann owned Random House to form Penguin Random House.{{Cite web| url= https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2012/10/29/163898792/penguin-random-house-announce-merger|title=Penguin, Random House Announce Merger |website= NPR.org | publisher= National Public Radio |access-date=2016-04-10}} New American Library is currently part of the Penguin Publishing Group, where it is a sister imprint to the Berkley Publishing Group. In June 2015 it was announced by Penguin that starting in fall of 2016, Berkley would publish fiction titles while New American Library would publish only non-fiction titles. According to Berkley/NAL Publishing Group president Leslie Gelbman this "will delineate the two publishing lines and sharpen their publishing identities."{{Cite web|url=http://lunch.publishersmarketplace.com/2015/06/people-nal-is-merged-into-realigned-berkley-publishing-group/|title=NAL Is Merged Into Realigned Berkley Publishing Group |website=Publishers Lunch|language=en-US|access-date=2016-04-10}} at Publishers Weekly{{Cite web|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/67234-penguin-merges-berkley-nal.html|title=Penguin Merges Berkley, NAL|website=PublishersWeekly.com|access-date=2016-04-10}}

Imprints

Imprints past and present have included the following:

Meridian
Mentor Books, (mostly) non-fiction (with the slogan, "Good reading for the millions")[http://www.publishinghistory.com/mentor-books.html Mentor Books (New American Library, Inc.) - Book Series List], publishinghistory.com. Retrieved 29 September 2017.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/56781833@N06/albums/72157631449191668 Mentor Books], flickr.com. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
Mentor-Omega, featuring Catholic philosophers
Mentor Executive Library, for businesspeople
Mentor-Unesco Art Books
NAL Trade
Plume
Signet Books[http://www.publishinghistory.com/signet-books.html Signet Books (New American Library) - Book Series List], publishinghistory.com. Retrieved 29 September 2017.[http://bookscans.com/Publishers/signet/signet.htm Signet], bookscans.com. Retrieved 29 September 2017.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/56781833@N06/albums/72157631434869022 Signet Books], flickr.com. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
Signet Classic, paperback reprints of classics from Giovanni Boccaccio to Sinclair Lewis, accompanied by introductions and in newer editions, afterwords.[http://www.publishinghistory.com/signet-classics.html Signet Classics (New American Library, Inc.) - Book Series List], publishinghistory.com. Retrieved 29 September 2017.[http://bookscans.com/Publishers/signet/signet33.htm Signet Classics 1 - 199], bookscans.com. Retrieved 29 September 2017.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/56781833@N06/albums/72157627622989638 Signet Classics], flickr.com. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
Signet Fiction
Signet Science
Signet Key, for young readers ages 10 to 14.[http://bookscans.com/Publishers/signet/signet32.htm Signet Key], bookscans.com. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
SignetteLove Is... New ways to spot that certain feeling... Signette/New American Library, 1971. Author/illustrator: Kim Grove

Notable authors

{{columns-list|

Eric Jerome Dickey
Harlan Ellison
William Faulkner
James Joyce
Stephen King
Arthur Koestler
John Lange (pseudonym of Michael Crichton)
Susan Meissner
Flannery O'Connor
George Orwell
Ayn Rand
Mickey Spillane

}}

Notable cover illustrators

{{columns-list|

James Avati{{cite web| first= Ed |last= Schilders| url= http://www.cubra.nl/avati/jamesavatiinterviewedschildersenglish.htm |title= James Avati - Cover Story| website= cubra.nl| access-date= 29 September 2017}} Includes five Avati-designed covers of Signet Books[http://www.thrillingdetective.com/trivia/triv193.html Dare to Judge This Book: Some Great Pulp & Paperback Cover Artists], thrillingdetective.com. Retrieved 29 September 2017.{{cite web| url= http://bookscans.com/Articles/signet_artists.htm |title= Artist List for Penguin and Signet Books| website= bookscans.com| access-date= 29 September 2017}}{{cite journal| first= Piet |last= Schreuders| url= http://issuu.com/illomag/docs/ill1?e=1289036/2619192 |title= The Paperback Art of James Avati| work= Illustration| volume= 1| number= 1| date= October 2001| access-date= 29 September 2017| via= issuu.com}}
Paul Bacon
Alberto Beltrán
Jack Davis
Mort Drucker
Nick Eggenhofer
S. Neil Fujita
Milton Glaser[https://www.flickr.com/groups/miltonglaser/pool/ Designed by Milton Glaser], flickr.com. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
James Hill
Robert Jonas
Victor Kalin[https://www.flickr.com/photos/56781833@N06/sets/72157627691168249/ Victor Kalin Covers], flickr.com. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
Saul Lambert
Robert McGinnis
Robert Maguire{{cite journal| first= Gary |last= Lovisi| url= http://issuu.com/illomag/docs/ill3?e=1289036/4462566 |title= The Magic of Robert Maguire| work= Illustration| volume= 1| number= 3| date= April 2002| access-date= 29 September 2017| via= issuu.com}}
Stanley Meltzoff
Norman Mingo
Barye Phillips
Rudolph "Rudy" Nappi{{cite journal| first= Gary |last= Lovisi| url= http://issuu.com/illomag/docs/ill28?e=1289036/3135654 |title= Rudy Nappi: Celebrating the Artist and his Work| work= Illustration| number= 28| date= Winter 2009–10| access-date= 29 September 2017| via= issuu.com}}
Steele Savage
Robert E. Schulz
Alex Tsao
Stanley M. Zuckerberg