Boni & Liveright and Horace Liveright, Inc. correspondence, 1917-1957 (bulk 1927-1930).

Format:

Other

Author/Creator:

Liveright, Horace Brisbin, 1886-1933.

Contributor:

Friede, Donald, 1901-1965.

Messner, Julian.

Pell, Arthur.

Boni & Liveright.

Horace Liveright, Inc.

Language:

English

Penn Provenance:

Gift of Herman Liveright and Lucy Liveright Koch, 1962.

Gift of James L. Harrison, 2013.

Physical Description:

566 folders (11 boxes)

Arrangement:

Alphabetical by author, correspondent, or corporation.

Place of Publication:

1917-1957

Biography/History:

The New York City publishing firm of Boni & Liveright began in 1917 with Charles Boni and Horace Liveright issuing the Modern Library Series. Boni's uncle, Thomas Seltzer, quickly became a third partner, but he left four months after Liveright had bought out Boni in July of 1918. Soon afterwards Liveright sold vice presidencies to Julian Messner and Leon Fleischman. Fleischman left the firm in 1920 to be replaced by Bennett Cerf that same year. In 1925 Cerf bought the rights to the Modern Library and left. Donald Friede then became a vice-president but was bought out by Liveright in 1928. In the middle of 1928 Liveright changed the name of the firm to Horace Liveright, Inc. In the late summer of 1930 he left for Hollywood and served only as the figurehead president of Horace Liveright, Inc. At that time Arthur Pell became a partner in the company and soon head of the business. In 1933 the firm was renamed Liveright, Inc. On 4 May 1933, an involuntary petition in bankruptcy was filed against the company. On 25 July 1933, the entire assets of Liveright, Inc., were sold to Victor Gold. Pell later took over the firm and called it Liveright Publishing Corporation. On 24 September 1933, Liveright died of pneumonia at his home in Manhattan.

Summary:

Incoming and outgoing correspondence and internal memoranda, bulk of which is dated 1927-1930, both to and from Horace Liveright as well as the firm's representatives. Few contracts; no complete book manuscripts/typescripts. This collection appears to be Liveright's files on authors that he published and people in the publishing trade, including his own staff. Some files seem incomplete, perhaps appropriated by or left with the men who bought out parts of the company. The files include original signed letters and telegrams, as well as carbons. In 2013 forty-four pieces of correspondence were added to the collection through a donation by James L. Harrison, son of Gilbert Harrison, who owned Liveright Publishing Company for several years in the 1970s; correspondents comprise Hart Crane, Ford Madox Ford, Waldo Frank, Ernest Hemingway, Edgar Lee Masters, Lewis Mumford, Ezra Pound, and Bertrand Russell, or their representatives.

Finding Aid/Index:

Indexes: To obtain a list of all correspondence files, do the following title search: Correspondence, 1918-1934, of Boni Liveright and Horace Liveright, Inc.

OCLC:

155938687