Frederick Roberts Rinehart

Frederick Roberts Rinehart (1902–1981) was an American book publisher. Rinehart was a son of mystery writer Mary Roberts Rinehart, a brother of publisher Stanley Rinehart, Jr., and a brother of producer and playwright Alan Rinehart.

Early life, education, and career launch

Rinehart was born on 14 September 1902 in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, which has since merged with Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[1] He graduated from the Morristown School in Morristown, NJ (now Morristown-Beard School) in 1920. Rinehart then completed his bachelor's degree at Harvard University in 1924.[2] Rinehart began his career in publishing as a worker in the shipping room at George H. Doran. He later served as a book salesman for the company.[3]

Farrar and Rinehart

In 1929, Rinehart co-founded the publishing house Farrar & Rinehart with Stanley Rinehart and John C. Farrar.[4] Rinehart then served as a vice president. In just a few weeks, Rinehart and his associates began announcing a slate of upcoming publications:[5]

Under the leadership of Rinehart and his colleagues, Farrar & Rinehart achieved notoriety for publishing the works of Hervey Allen, Katherine Brush, and Mary Roberts Rinehart. The company also achieved recognition as one of the first publishers of dollar fiction. After Farrar & Rinehart acquired the Cosmopolitan Book Corporation from William Randolph Hearst in 1931, the company began a new division to publish college textbooks. Publishers Weekly awarded Farrar & Rinehart its first Carey–Thomas Award in 1943 for its publication of the Rivers of America Series by literary figures.[6]

Rinehart & Co

After Farrar left to start Farrar & Straus (now Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 1946, Farrar & Rinehart changes its name to Rinehart & Company. The new name reflected joint corporate leadership of Rinehart and Frederick Rinehart. Rinehart served as the vice president and Stanley Rinehart served as the president.[7]

Rinehart & Company achieved recognition for publishing the first books in Charles Schulz's Peanuts series, as well as works by Faith Baldwin, Stephen Vincent Benét, Norman Mailer, and Erich Fromm.[6] In 1953, the company published The Wonderful World of Insects [8] as the first book printed by the Photon (known as the Lumitype in France), a photographic type composing machine invented by René Alphonse Higonnet and Louis Moyroud.[6] The Photon machine (known as the Lumitype in France) used a photoengraving process to print text and images on paper, which made hotel metal typesetting obsolete.

Seven years later, Rinehart & Company merged with Henry Holt and Company and John C. Winston Co. to form Holt, Rinehart, and Winston (now the Holt McDougal Division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).[9] Rinehart served as a vice president at the new company[10] before retiring from publishing in 1963.[3]

Philanthropy

Rinehart served as President of the Mary Roberts Rinehart Foundation.[3] Incorporated in 1958, the foundation provides grants and editorial advice to promising writers. It also annually awards the Mary Roberts Rinehart Award to a woman writer of non-fiction.[11]

Family

Rinehart married Elizabeth Sherwood from Geneva, NY. They had one child, Cornelia.[12]

References
  1. Cohn, Jan (1980). Improbable Fiction: The Life of Mary Roberts Rinehart.
  2. Tabbel, John (1978). A history of book publishing in the United States: The golden age between two wars : 1920–1940. "I was born September 14, 1902 in Allegheny, now a part of Pittsburgh, Pa., of two parents. I went to public and private schools there and in Sewickley until, in 1917, I went to Morristown School in New Jersey...and then to Harvard, which I entered on condition, remained at on probation, graduated from without honors. This was in 1924. ... I started with George H. Doran in 1924, working in the shipping room as long as Mark Weisman could stand."
  3. "Frederick Rinehart, 78, Led Publishing Houses". The New York Times. 17 June 1971.
  4. "FORM PUBLISHING FIRM.; S.M. Rinehart Jr. and John Farrar Announce New Concern". The New York Times. 5 June 1929.
  5. "Books and Authors". The New York Times. 28 July 1929.
  6. "Stanley Rinehart, Jr., Publisher, Dies". The New York Times. 27 April 1969.
  7. "Books—Authors". The New York Times. 1 January 1946.
  8. Gaul, Albro (1953). The Wonderful World of Insects. Rinehart and Company.
  9. "President Is Elected By Merged Publisher". The New York Times. 4 March 1960.
  10. "Books—Authors; Crime Club Prolific". The New York Times. 7 November 1962.
  11. "Mary Roberts Rinehart Award Presentation: Katherine Boo". Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  12. "A Daughter to Mrs. F. R. Rinehart". The New York Times. 22 November 1930.
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