Pocket Books

Pocket Books is an American publishing imprint and division of Simon & Schuster, best known for helping make inexpensive, compact mass-market paperbacks a mainstream format in the United States. It was established in 1939 by entrepreneur Robert Fair de Graff in partnership with Simon & Schuster figures Richard L. Simon, M. Lincoln Schuster, and Leon Shimkin. The venture adapted ideas that had already gained traction in Europe through Albatross Books and Penguin Books, but tailored them to American distribution, pricing, and reading habits. The company's first books appeared in May 1939. They were small, approximately 4.25 by 6.5 inches, glued rather than sewn, and priced at 25 cents. These manufacturing choices reduced production costs and made the books suitable for sale beyond traditional bookstores, including newsstands and other general retail locations. Pocket Books used a kangaroo emblem, Gertrude, as a recognizable identity for the new format. Its early list combined reprints of popular fiction, mysteries, classics, poetry, and practical or general-interest nonfiction. Initial titles included works by James Hilton, Agatha Christie, Dorothy Parker, Emily Brontë, William Shakespeare, and Felix Salten. The model gained rapid traction. The Pocket Books edition of Wuthering Heights reportedly sold through an initial 100,000-copy printing during its first week, and the company sold more than 1.5 million units during its first year. Pocket refined its list by emphasizing commercially proven authors, mystery fiction, and books connected with films. Its growth helped demonstrate that paperback publishing could be a substantial business rather than merely a low-cost alternative to hardcover books. Pocket Books benefited from wartime conditions, when paper and other material shortages favored economical formats. It also became involved in an important copyright dispute with Avon Books over paperback editions of Leslie Charteris's The Saint stories and related questions about whether a publisher could claim exclusive rights to the pocket-sized format. The dispute established that the format itself was not exclusively controlled by Pocket Books. Ownership changed several times. The founding owners sold the company in 1944 to Marshall Field III, owner of the Chicago Sun. After Field's death, Leon Shimkin and James M. Jacobson acquired Pocket Books in 1957 for $5 million. Simon & Schuster purchased Pocket Books in 1966, making it part of the publishing group with which it remains associated. During the 1970s, Phyllis E. Grann was promoted to run the division; she later left for Putnam and subsequently became a leading figure in American publishing. The imprint has published both commercial fiction and prominent nonfiction. Benjamin Spock's Baby and Child Care, acquired by Pocket Books in 1946, became one of its most successful titles and had reached reported sales of 28 million copies by 1981. Pocket Books expanded into hardcover publishing in 1989 with Susan Sussman's The Dieter. It also developed a substantial business in licensed entertainment publishing, including novels and adaptations tied to Star Trek and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Pocket obtained the Star Trek license from Bantam Books in 1979 and published hundreds of original and adapted works in the franchise, although later Star Trek novel publishing increasingly moved to Simon & Schuster's Gallery Books line beginning with Star Trek: Discovery-related books in 2017. Pocket Books has operated alongside and, at different times, distributed or housed a number of related imprints and publishing programs, including Pocket Star Books, Downtown Press, Threshold Editions, MTV/VH1 Books, WWE Books, Timescape Books, Wanderer Books, Sonnet, and others. The division's historical identity remains closely associated with affordable popular reading, genre fiction, licensed media tie-ins, and the mass-market paperback format, while its broader corporate role is that of a Simon & Sc…

Pocket Books emerged in 1939 during a period when publishers were seeking ways to broaden book distribution and reduce prices. European publishers had already demonstrated the commercial potential of inexpensive paperbacks, particularly through Albatross Books and Penguin Books. Robert Fair de Graff worked with Richard L. Simon, M. Lincoln Schuster, and Leon Shimkin of Simon & Schuster to adapt that concept for the United States. The new company issued small paperbacks measuring about 4.25 by 6.5 inches. The books were glued instead of stitched and sold for 25 cents, allowing them to be manufactured and distributed at a much lower cost than conventional hardbound editions. Pocket Books also pursued outlets outside the conventional bookstore network, making its titles available in places such as newsstands and other high-volume retail locations. Its kangaroo emblem, named Gertrude, gave the line a distinctive visual identity. The first ten numbered books appeared in May 1939. The list was deliberately broad: it included popular novels, classics, mystery fiction, poetry, and practical nonfiction. The first group featured Lost Horizon, Wake Up and Live, Five Great Tragedies, Topper, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Enough Rope, Wuthering Heights, The Way of All Flesh, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, and Bambi. This mixture allowed Pocket Books to test the format across several readerships rather than relying on a single genre. Early sales demonstrated that readers would purchase familiar and respected works in a cheaper format. The Pocket edition of Wuthering Heights sold out an initial 100,000-copy printing within its first week, and the company sold more than 1.5 million copies across its list before the end of 1939. Pocket subsequently placed greater emphasis on mystery novels, including books by Agatha Christie and Erle Stanley Gardner, as well as movie-related editions and other commercially recognizable properties. The paperback format grew during the Second World War. Material shortages made economical production especially valuable, while the portable size suited readers seeking inexpensive entertainment and reading material. Pocket's success also encouraged competitors. During the war, Pocket Books brought a copyright action against Avon Books connected with competing paperback editions of Leslie Charteris's The Saint stories. The litigation addressed both the competing editions and the broader question of whether a publisher could control the pocket-book format. The court found that the format itself was not exclusive to Pocket Books. In 1944 the founders sold the company to Marshall Field III, who owned the Chicago Sun. After Field died in 1957, Leon Shimkin and James M. Jacobson acquired Pocket Books for $5 million. Simon & Schuster then bought the company in 1966, converting Pocket Books into a major imprint within the larger publishing organization. In the 1970s, Phyllis E. Grann was promoted to run Pocket Books under Simon & Schuster chief executive Richard E. Snyder. She left for Putnam in 1976 and later became the first woman to lead a major publishing company as chief executive. Pocket Books' list extended beyond genre fiction. The imprint acquired Benjamin Spock's Baby and Child Care in 1946, and the title became a major commercial success; by 1981 it was reported to have sold 28 million copies. The company later broadened its format range, publishing its first hardcover, The Dieter by Susan Sussman, in 1989. Licensed entertainment publishing became another important part of the imprint's identity. Pocket Books obtained the Star Trek license from Bantam Books in 1979 and published hundreds of novelizations and original novels. It also issued books connected with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and held publication rights to James O'Barr's The Crow. Beginning in 2017, Star Trek titles gradually shifted toward Simon & Schuster's Gallery Books line, although the franchise remains part of the publishing history associated with Pocket Books. Over time, Pocket Books operated with or alongside numerous specialized imprints and programs, including Pocket Star Books, Downtown Press, Threshold Editions, MTV/VH1 Books, WWE Books, Timescape Books, Wanderer Books, Sonnet, Cardinal Edition, and other labels. Some were later discontinued, while others were integrated into broader Simon & Schuster operations. Pocket Books is now best understood as an active Simon & Schuster division whose historical significance rests on the American mass-market paperback revolution and whose publishing heritage includes commercial fiction, nonfiction, genre literature, and licensed media tie-ins.

• 2017

  Star Trek titles begin shifting to Gallery Books

  [1]Pocket Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Publishing of Star Trek novels gradually moved toward Simon & Schuster's Gallery Books line, beginning with Star Trek: Discovery-related titles.

• 1989

  Pocket Books publishes its first hardcover

  [1]Pocket Booksen.wikipedia.org

  The imprint expanded beyond paperback publishing with Susan Sussman's The Dieter.

• 1981

  Baby and Child Care reaches reported sales of 28 million copies

  [1]Pocket Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Benjamin Spock's Baby and Child Care was identified as Pocket Books' leading seller at the time.

• 1979

  Star Trek license begins

  [1]Pocket Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Pocket Books acquired the Star Trek publishing license from Bantam Books.

• 1966

  Simon & Schuster acquisition

  [1]Pocket Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Simon & Schuster purchased Pocket Books and incorporated it into its publishing portfolio.

• 1957

  Shimkin and Jacobson regain ownership

  [1]Pocket Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Leon Shimkin and James M. Jacobson acquired Pocket Books after Field's death.

• 1944

  Marshall Field III buys the company

  [1]Pocket Booksen.wikipedia.org

  The original owners sold Pocket Books to Marshall Field III.

• 1939

  Pocket Books is founded

  [1]Pocket Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Robert Fair de Graff established Pocket Books with Richard L. Simon, M. Lincoln Schuster, and Leon Shimkin to bring the inexpensive paperback model to the United States.

• 1939

  First ten numbered titles are published

  [1]Pocket Booksen.wikipedia.org

  The inaugural list introduced compact 25-cent paperbacks spanning popular fiction, classics, mysteries, poetry, and nonfiction.

• 1939

  First-year sales exceed 1.5 million copies

  [1]Pocket Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Strong demand validated the mass-market paperback format and established Pocket Books as a significant American publisher.

Popular, accessible publishing with a historic emphasis on affordable mass-market paperbacks, genre fiction, commercial nonfiction, and entertainment tie-ins.

• Paperback publishing · 1939

  Mass-market paperback books

  Pocket Books was created around a compact, low-priced paperback format. Its early editions were approximately 4.25 by 6.5 inches, glued rather than sewn, and priced at 25 cents. The format was intended to make books portable, inexpensive, and suitable for distribution through nontraditional retail channels. The company's historical importance comes from helping turn this format into a major American publishing category.

• Fiction · 1939

  Popular fiction and mystery books

  Pocket Books built much of its list around accessible fiction, with a notable emphasis on mysteries and commercially established authors. Early and subsequent publishing included works associated with Agatha Christie and Erle Stanley Gardner, alongside novels, classics, and other popular reading. This category reflected the imprint's focus on high-volume, affordable editions rather than a narrowly literary list.

• Parenting nonfiction · 1946

  Baby and Child Care

  Benjamin Spock's Baby and Child Care became one of Pocket Books' most important nonfiction properties after the imprint acquired it in 1946. The book became a major commercial success and was reported to have sold 28 million copies by 1981. Its performance demonstrated that Pocket's paperback distribution system could support high-volume practical nonfiction as well as fiction.

• Licensed fiction · 1979

  Star Trek publishing program

  Pocket Books held the Star Trek publishing license from 1979 after taking it over from Bantam Books. The program included novelizations, original novels, and other franchise-related fiction, eventually encompassing hundreds of books. Star Trek became one of the imprint's defining licensed entertainment properties, although the novel line gradually moved to Simon & Schuster's Gallery Books line beginning in 2017.

• Licensed fiction

  Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels

  Pocket Books previously published novels based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Some editions used the author credit Gertrude Pocket, a reference to the company's kangaroo logo. The Buffy books were later published by Simon Spotlight Entertainment.

• Graphic and licensed publishing rights

  The Crow

  Pocket Books is identified as the Simon & Schuster division holding publication rights to James O'Barr's The Crow. The property extends the imprint's involvement beyond conventional paperback fiction into graphic and adaptation-related publishing.

• 2017

  Move Star Trek publishing toward Gallery BooksStrategy

  Background

  Simon & Schuster reorganized aspects of its franchise publishing activity across imprints.

  Action taken

  Star Trek novel publishing gradually shifted to the Gallery Books line, beginning with books connected to Star Trek: Discovery.

  Aftermath

  The move reduced the prominence of Star Trek within Pocket Books while retaining the franchise within Simon & Schuster.

  Source

• 1989

  Expand into hardcover publishingStrategy

  Background

  Pocket Books had been strongly associated with inexpensive paperback editions since its founding.

  Action taken

  The imprint published The Dieter by Susan Sussman as its first hardcover.

  Aftermath

  The move broadened Pocket Books' format range beyond its traditional mass-market paperback identity.

  Source

• 1979

  Take over the Star Trek licenseProduct launch

  Background

  Bantam Books had previously published Star Trek-related books, and the franchise offered a substantial opportunity for recurring licensed fiction.

  Action taken

  Pocket Books acquired the license and began publishing both adaptations and original Star Trek novels.

  Aftermath

  The program became one of Pocket Books' best-known publishing activities and produced hundreds of titles before later movement toward Gallery Books.

  Source

• 1939

  Adopt the compact mass-market paperback modelStrategy

  Background

  European publishers had demonstrated demand for inexpensive paperback editions, but the format was not yet established as a major American mass-market channel.

  Action taken

  Pocket Books used small glued books, a 25-cent price point, a recognizable kangaroo logo, and distribution beyond traditional bookstores.

  Aftermath

  Rapid sales, including more than 1.5 million copies during the first year, helped establish the American mass-market paperback industry.

  Source

• 2017

  Star Trek novel publishing begins moving to Gallery Books[1]Pocket Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Product generation

  Beginning with novels connected to Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek publishing gradually shifted from Pocket Books to Simon & Schuster's Gallery Books line.

• 1979

  Pocket Books obtains the Star Trek publishing license[1]Pocket Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch · Other

  Pocket Books took over the Star Trek license from Bantam Books and began publishing novelizations and original fiction in the franchise.

• 1966

  Simon & Schuster acquires Pocket Books[1]Pocket Booksen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Simon & Schuster purchased Pocket Books, bringing the publisher into the corporate group that continues to operate the imprint.

• 1957

  Shimkin and Jacobson acquire Pocket Books[1]Pocket Booksen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Following Marshall Field III's death, Leon Shimkin and James M. Jacobson bought Pocket Books for a reported $5 million.

• 1944

  Marshall Field III acquires Pocket Books[1]Pocket Booksen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  The founding owners sold Pocket Books to Marshall Field III, owner of the Chicago Sun.

• 1939

  Pocket Books launches its first numbered paperback list[1]Pocket Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch · Other

  Pocket Books released its first ten numbered titles in a compact, low-priced paperback format, helping introduce mass-market paperbacks to American readers.

• Pocket Books challenges Avon over paperback publishing rights[1]Pocket Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Lawsuit

  Pocket Books pursued a copyright dispute involving Avon Books and paperback editions of The Saint stories. The court rejected the idea that Pocket could claim exclusive rights to the pocket-sized format itself.

1. 1Pocket Booksen.wikipedia.org