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| Schiffrin and Wolff in the Pantheon apartment |
The company began in the Wolff’s apartment in 1942 and focused on translating European books. Pantheon grew and prospered over the next twenty years under the direction of Schiffrin and the Wolffs and in the 1960s it was purchased by Random House and moved into the Knopf division.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, little Andre Schiffrin grew up in New York City surrounded by intellectuals and books and, upon graduating high school, attended Yale.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, little Andre Schiffrin grew up in New York City surrounded by intellectuals and books and, upon graduating high school, attended Yale.
In a wonderful interview in The White Review Andre explains how he began his career in publishing. It started as a summer job at New American Books and, although he was not on the editorial staff, he suggested that the company consider publishing inexpensive paperbacks of the classics, with critical introductions, that could be used in schools (wait, doesn’t this sound familiar?). The series eventually became the very popular Signet Classics. In the book, The Business of Books, Schiffrin claims that, at the time, he never considered the fact that he was following in his father’s footsteps.
In 1961 Pantheon offered Andre Schiffrin a position as a junior editor and he began work down the hall from his father’s old office (Jacques died in 1950 when Andre was only 15). Over the decades Schiffrin discovered and published many new authors like Noam Chomsky and Michael Foucault and Pantheon became known for supporting intellectual, and often leftist work, into the 1980.
The history of Pantheon reads like a soap opera through the 1980s but basically, Andre was forced to resign his position because he would not downsize or reduce the number of titles he printed. The entire episode seems to have been a power struggle between Andre and the new Random House boss, Alberto Vitale and big names like Kurt Vonnegut, Studs Terkel and E.L. Doctorow came to Schiffrin’s defense.
In 2000, Schiffrin published a memoir, The Business of Books: How International Conglomerates Took Over Publishing and Changed the Way We Read, by the title it seems that he got the last word in the dispute.
In 1961 Pantheon offered Andre Schiffrin a position as a junior editor and he began work down the hall from his father’s old office (Jacques died in 1950 when Andre was only 15). Over the decades Schiffrin discovered and published many new authors like Noam Chomsky and Michael Foucault and Pantheon became known for supporting intellectual, and often leftist work, into the 1980.
The history of Pantheon reads like a soap opera through the 1980s but basically, Andre was forced to resign his position because he would not downsize or reduce the number of titles he printed. The entire episode seems to have been a power struggle between Andre and the new Random House boss, Alberto Vitale and big names like Kurt Vonnegut, Studs Terkel and E.L. Doctorow came to Schiffrin’s defense.
In 2000, Schiffrin published a memoir, The Business of Books: How International Conglomerates Took Over Publishing and Changed the Way We Read, by the title it seems that he got the last word in the dispute.
Pantheon continues to publish books but, depressingly, has expanded into graphic novels. One of it’s current popular titles is about a rabbi and his talking cat. La Pleiade continues to publish it’s elegant, well respected volumes of classic world literature, accompanied by critical notes and essays. And Andre Schiffrin now oversees The New Press, a publishing house acclaimed from taking risks and tackling tough issues.
It seems like, in the end, everyone got what they wanted thanks to Jacques Schiffrin. It’s too bad he can't make a return visit to see his legacy.
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