Eakins Press
Encyclopedia
Eakins Press is an American
publishing house established by Leslie George Katz
in 1966, naming it in honor of painter Thomas Eakins
.
Katz had obtained the funds to establish the company by selling a series of paintings by Eakins that his father had purchased secretly and placed in locations scattered around Baltimore. Katz discovered his father's secret in the 1950s, and sold the paintings to art collector Joseph Hirshhorn
.
The publishing firm debuted in September 1966 with the release of four books, part of what Katz described would be seven to 10 books issued annually. The initial releases were The Animal Hotel, a novella
by poet Jean Garrigue
; A replica of the original 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass
, the collection of twelve poems written by Walt Whitman
that he had published himself; Message From the Interior a collection of photographs by Walker Evans
, who was best known for his work for the Farm Security Administration
that captured the effects of the Great Depression
; and Ready for the Ha Ha & Other Satires a volume of poems and plays written by his wife, Jane Mayhall
.
In the three decades before his death, Eakins Press published 56 books that were described by The New York Times
as being "notable for their meticulous, elegant design", including works of photography, poetry, sculpture and the New York City Ballet
.
In addition to Ready for the Ha Ha & Other Satires, Eakins Press also published other works by his wife, including the two-volume collection of poetry Givers and Takers printed in 1968 and 1973.
A January 1993 show at the Zabriskie Gallery in New York City featured selections of 14 works published by the Eakins Press, along with samples of the art produced by the artists highlighted in the books.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
publishing house established by Leslie George Katz
Leslie George Katz
Leslie George Katz was an author and publisher who founded Eakins Press, a specialty publisher of books of art and literature.-Biography:...
in 1966, naming it in honor of painter Thomas Eakins
Thomas Eakins
Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins was an American realist painter, photographer, sculptor, and fine arts educator...
.
Katz had obtained the funds to establish the company by selling a series of paintings by Eakins that his father had purchased secretly and placed in locations scattered around Baltimore. Katz discovered his father's secret in the 1950s, and sold the paintings to art collector Joseph Hirshhorn
Joseph Hirshhorn
]Joseph Herman Hirshhorn was an entrepreneur, financier and art collector. Born in Mitau, Latvia, the twelfth of thirteen children, Hirshhorn emigrated to the United States with his widowed mother at the age of six....
.
The publishing firm debuted in September 1966 with the release of four books, part of what Katz described would be seven to 10 books issued annually. The initial releases were The Animal Hotel, a novella
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
by poet Jean Garrigue
Jean Garrigue
Jean Garrigue was an American poet born in Evansville, Indiana and wrote as an expatriate from Europe in 1953, 1957, and 1962. She eventually settled in [Greenwich Village]. The Ego and the Centaur was Garrigue’s first full-length publication. She was a professor at Queens College, Smith College...
; A replica of the original 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass is a poetry collection by the American poet Walt Whitman . Though the first edition was published in 1855, Whitman spent his entire life writing Leaves of Grass, revising it in several editions until his death...
, the collection of twelve poems written by Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
that he had published himself; Message From the Interior a collection of photographs by Walker Evans
Walker Evans
Walker Evans was an American photographer best known for his work for the Farm Security Administration documenting the effects of the Great Depression. Much of Evans's work from the FSA period uses the large-format, 8x10-inch camera...
, who was best known for his work for the Farm Security Administration
Farm Security Administration
Initially created as the Resettlement Administration in 1935 as part of the New Deal in the United States, the Farm Security Administration was an effort during the Depression to combat American rural poverty...
that captured the effects of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
; and Ready for the Ha Ha & Other Satires a volume of poems and plays written by his wife, Jane Mayhall
Jane Mayhall
Jane Mayhall Katz was an American poet whose writing first received attention later in life, and was influenced by her transition from her youth in Kentucky to the hustle and bustle of life in New York City and her grief over the death of her husband...
.
In the three decades before his death, Eakins Press published 56 books that were described by The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
as being "notable for their meticulous, elegant design", including works of photography, poetry, sculpture and the New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Leon Barzin was the company's first music director. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company...
.
In addition to Ready for the Ha Ha & Other Satires, Eakins Press also published other works by his wife, including the two-volume collection of poetry Givers and Takers printed in 1968 and 1973.
A January 1993 show at the Zabriskie Gallery in New York City featured selections of 14 works published by the Eakins Press, along with samples of the art produced by the artists highlighted in the books.