Longtime president and ceo emeritus of BookNet Canada Noah Genner died on August 27. The organization writes: “Noah’s impact on the Canadian publishing industry cannot be overstated…. Over his twenty-plus years with BookNet, Noah led the launches of nearly all of BookNet’s marquee projects, including SalesData, CataList, and BiblioShare…. His relentless dedication, positive attitude, and innovative mind will leave a lasting legacy.”
Obits
Len Riggio Dies at 83
The man who built Barnes & Noble into a bookselling powerhouse Len Riggio died at age 83 following a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. In addition to building and running Barnes & Noble, Riggio also founded Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, MBS Textbook Exchange, and GameStop. BN said in a statement, “His leadership spanned decades, during which he not only grew the company but also nurtured a culture of innovation and a love for reading.” A mass of Christian burial will take place on Friday, Aug. 30, at 10:00 am at The Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, 263 Mulberry Street, with a public […]
Obituary: Betty Prashker
Betty Prashker, 99, former editor in chief of the Crown Publishing Group, died on July 30 at her daughter’s home in the Berkshires. During her 50-year career, she was also associate publisher at Doubleday. Her authors included Jean Auel, Erik Larson, Kate Millett, Judith Krantz, and Dominick Dunne. Former Crown publisher Tina Constable said in a statement, “Without Betty, there would have been no Crown Publishing as we know it…. I am just one of many colleagues who benefitted greatly from her experience, and from her unwaveringly championing advancement and higher pay for women in publishing.” PRH writes in a remembrance, […]
Obituary: Francine Pascal
Sweet Valley High creator Francine Pascal, 92, died on July 28 of lymphoma. In 1983, Pascal created the Sweet Valley High series of young adult novels, which went on to launch many companion books, a TV show, and two grown-up sequels, Sweet Valley Confidential (2011) and The Sweet Life (2012). According to the New York Times, Sweet Valley titles have sold more than 200 million copies. Pascal also wrote several other books, including the YA series Fearless and adult novels Save Johanna! and If Wishes Were Horses.
Obituary: Edna O’Brien
Irish author Edna O’Brien, 93, died on July 27 “after a long illness,” according to her publisher. Her work, which was often autobiographical, contained honest depictions of women and lost love. She published her first novel, The Country Girls, in 1960, and it was banned in Ireland. She won the Irish PEN lifetime achievement award in 2001 and the PEN/Nabokov award for achievement in international literature in 2018.
Obituary: Lewis Lapham
Lewis H. Lapham, 89, longtime editor of Harper’s and editor of Lapham Quarterly’s, died on July 25 in Rome. Lapham served as editor in chief of Harper’s from 1976 to 2006. In 2006, he founded Lapham’s, an eclectic magazine focused on literature and history. His last book, Age of Folly: America Abandons Its Democracy, was published in 2016.