Richard W. Seaver, founder and president of Arcade Publishing, passed away unexpectedly on January 5 after a heart attack. A memorial service will be announced in a few days. In lieu of flowers, Arcade reports they would be enormously grateful for any contributions to the PEN American Center.
The NYT has an obituary today, calling him “an editor, translator and publisher who defied censorship, societal prudishness and conventional literary standards to bring works by rabble-rousing authors like Samuel Beckett, Henry Miller, William Burroughs and the Marquis de Sade to American readers.”
In other personnel news, Lerner Publishing Group has hired Terri Reden as vp, marketing. She held a similar title at PLATO Learning. In promotions, Lois Wallentine takes the new role of director of product development and market research; David Wexler becomes evp, sales; and cfo Margaret Wunderlich is made an executive vice president; as Kar-Ben Publishing director Joni Sussman moves up to publisher.
And, as indicated in former Harcourt publisher Andre Bernard’s holiday essay, the Observer confirms that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has hired back editor Drenka Willen, 79.