“I’ve got the name for our publishing operation. We just said we were going to publish a few books on the side at random. Let...
read full description
reviews
Aug 05, 2010
Matt
rated it: 
I picked up this book because I had the good fortune to meet Bennett Cerf's son Chris through the Columbia Publishing Course. Anyone going into book publishing should definitely give this book a read, as it provides an entertaining look at the early 20th century publishing world, among other things.
The book is made up of chapters of Bennett Cerf's (the co-founder of Random House) life, stories, and thought processes. A lot of it is gleaned from oral interviews with Cerf, so some of t More...
The book is made up of chapters of Bennett Cerf's (the co-founder of Random House) life, stories, and thought processes. A lot of it is gleaned from oral interviews with Cerf, so some of t More...
Dec 08, 2009
Lee Anne
rated it:
Bennett Cerf truly led a charmed life. After a brief stint on Wall Street, he fell into publishing and founded Random House, to this day (although it is now owned by Bertlesmann) the world's largest English language book publisher.
This book, more a collection of anecdotes than a memoir (it was compiled posthumously from interviews and notes), tells many amusing stories of life in the book business. Cerf is a great storyteller, and makes his life sound like a grand lark. Anyone who More...
This book, more a collection of anecdotes than a memoir (it was compiled posthumously from interviews and notes), tells many amusing stories of life in the book business. Cerf is a great storyteller, and makes his life sound like a grand lark. Anyone who More...
Jul 27, 2011
Marybeth
rated it:
Sometimes the past grabs you when you browse the biography shelf. I knew about Cerf from early TV, What's My Line, which I certainly would never have watched had I had several hundred other channels. But it passed the time between a childhood mainlining books. And what a verbal motormouth this man is. That just means his revelations of his life in the publishing world can have a riveting quality, but certainly only in spurts.
Dec 29, 2011
James
rated it: 
Growing up with books from an early age I still remember the love I had for the books themselves. Thus the encounter with "The Modern Library" editions from Random House was love at first sight. I read my first Faulkner and Dostoevsky in these editions. And I still have a small collection among my personal library today. All this as introduction to why I picked up and devoured this wonderful memoir of the life of a literary publisher. It is a fascinating collection of reminiscence
More...
Oct 24, 2007
Tosh
rated it:
Since I am a publisher, I am obsessed with reading books about publishers and their presses. And Random House is the biggie of them all. One thing for sure, publishing is a very romantic business. Whatever you are a small press or a huge one like Random. The old School (and Cerf is a member of that school) were visionaries and had great passion in their work. I hope to be among that little club!
Sep 14, 2007
Leah
rated it:
An amazing read for anyone in/fascinated by publishing. Pompous and self-satisfied hardly begins to describe Bennett Cerf, but if you founded one of the most prestigious and reputable publishing houses in America, wouldn't you be?
Dec 11, 2011
Sandi
rated it:
Published after his death, this memoir collects various interviews Cerf did with the Columbia school of journalism about publishing and his role in founding Random House.
Jan 03, 2008
Steph
rated it:
I loved reading about the beginnings of the publishing industry. I was totally born in the wrong decade...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Dec 26, 2011
Sep 24, 2011
Aug 19, 2011
Aug 10, 2011
Jul 31, 2011
Jun 05, 2011
Mar 31, 2011
Mar 31, 2011
Jan 30, 2011
