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Doubleday's century of publishing began in 1897 when Frank Nelson Doubleday, with remarkable
confidence, and a back loan of five thousand dollars, founded Doubleday &McClure Company in
partnership with magazine publisher Samuel McClure. Among their first bestsellers was A Day's
Work by Rudyard Kipling. While the alliance between Doubleday and McClure lasted only three
years, a long and profitable friendship grew between Doubleday and Kipling, who, using
Doubleday's initials, "F.N.D.," nicknamed him "effendi," the Turkish word for "chief"; this name
remained with Doubleday for his entire career.
In 1900 the company became Doubleday, Page & Company when Walter Hines Page joined as a
new partner. He was a strong coleader until his appointment as U.S. Ambassador to the Court of
St. James in 1913. The founder's son, Nelson Doubleday, joined the firm in 1922. Doubleday
merged with George H. Doran Company in 1927, making Doubleday, Doran the largest publishing
concern in the English-speaking world. The business became known as Doubleday & Company in
1946. Anchor Books created by Jason Epstein in 1953, was the first line of distinguished trade
paperback books in the industry. Shortly thereafter a Catholic publishing program was started by
John Delaney. By 1955 the program had expanded to cover other religions, which soon led to the
Image line of trade paperbacks. This program is still growing today. The Nan A. Talese imprint
was formed in 1990, two years after she joined Doubleday, bringing with her a distinguished list of
authors.
Doubleday was sold to Bertelsmann, AG, a Germany-based worldwide communications company in
1986. In 1988 it became part of the Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group which went on to
acquire and become a division of Random House Inc. in 1998.
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