The Reincarnation Of PublicAffairs
On the 28th Anniversary of its Launch
In the New York Times of May 29, 1997, under the headline “A New Publishing House for Books on Public Affairs,” an imprint was described with the ambitious objective of delivering nonfiction of topical interest and long-term relevance.
PublicAffairs is now an imprint of the Basic Books Group at the Hachette Book Group. The newly appointed editor in chief is Meagan Levinson, who has a laudable background in trade and academic publishing. She and her colleagues have a formidable publishing history to carry forward. ************************************
From the outset, each PublicAffairs book included this note on the final page of every book:
For fifty years, the banner of Public Affairs Press was carried by its owner Morris B. Schnapper, who published Gandhi, Nasser, Toynbee, Truman, and about 1,500 other authors. In 1983, Schnapper was described by The Washington Post as a “redoubtable gadfly.” His legacy will endure in the books to come.
The note has been retired in a new era for PublicAffairs. But Peter Osnos Public Affairs Press is the name of this Substack newsletter. It will not publish books under that name. However, the spirit of Schnapper’s independent vision will persist.
