Maxwell Perkins

William Maxwell Evarts Perkins, (September 20, 1884 – June 17, 1947), editor, was born on September 20, 1884, in New York City; grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey; attended St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire; and then graduated from Harvard College in 1907. Although an economics major in college, Perkins also studied under Charles Townsend Copeland, a famous teacher of literature who helped prepare Perkins for his calling. is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1884 (MDCCCLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Map of Plainfield in Union County Plainfield is a City in Union County, New Jersey, United States. ... St. ... Location in Merrimack County, New Hampshire Coordinates: Country United States State New Hampshire County Merrimack County Incorporated 1733  - City Manager Thomas J. Aspell, Jr. ... Harvard Yard Harvard College is the undergraduate section and oldest school of Harvard University, a private university in the United States, founded in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. ... Face-to-face trading interactions on the New York Stock Exchange trading floor. ...

After working as a reporter for The New York Times, Perkins joined the venerable publishing house of Charles Scribner's Sons in 1910. That same year he married Louise Saunders, also of Plainfield, who would bear him five daughters. At the time he joined it, Scribner's was known for publishing eminently respectable authors such as John Galsworthy, Henry James, and Edith Wharton. However, much as he admired these older giants, Perkins wished to bring Scribner's into the 20th century by publishing younger writers. Unlike most editors, he actively sought out promising new artists and made his first big find in 1919 when he signed F. Scott Fitzgerald. This was no easy task, for no one at Scribner's except Perkins had liked The Romantic Egotist, the working title of Fitzgerald's first novel, and it was rejected. Even so, Perkins worked with Fitzgerald to drastically revise the manuscript and then lobbied it through the house until he wore down his colleagues' resistance. The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... Charles Scribners Sons is a publisher that was founded in 1846 at the Brick Church Chapel on New Yorks Park Row. ... John Galsworthy OM (14 August 1867 – 31 January 1933) was an English novelist and playwright. ... For other uses of this name, see Henry James (disambiguation). ... Edith Wharton (January 24, 1862 – August 11, 1937) was an American novelist, short story writer, and designer. ... Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an American Jazz Age author of novels and short stories. ...

The publication of This Side of Paradise (1920) marked the arrival of a new literary generation that would always be associated with Perkins. Fitzgerald's profligacy and alcoholism put great strain on his relationship with Perkins. Nonetheless, Perkins remained his friend as well as his editor to the end of Fitzgerald's too-short life, advancing him money, making personal loans, and encouraging the unstable genius in every way. Perkins rendered yeoman service as an editor too, particularly in helping Fitzgerald with The Great Gatsby (1925), his masterpiece, which benefited substantially from Perkins' criticism. This Side of Paradise is the debut novel of F. Scott Fitzgerald. ... Alcoholism is the consumption of, or preoccupation with, alcoholic beverages to the extent that this behavior interferes with the drinkers normal personal, family, social, or work life, and may lead to physical or mental harm. ... This article is about the novel. ...

It was through Fitzgerald that Perkins met Ernest Hemingway, publishing his first major novel, The Sun Also Rises, in 1926. A daring book for the times, Perkins had to fight for it over objections to Hemingway's profanity raised by traditionalists in the firm. The commercial success of Hemingway's next novel, A Farewell to Arms (1929), which rose to number one on the best-seller list, put an end to questions about Perkins' editorial judgment. The greatest professional challenge Perkins ever faced was posed by Thomas Wolfe, whose talent was matched only by his lack of artistic self-discipline. Unlike most writers, who are often blocked, words poured out of Wolfe like a mighty Niagara. A blessing in some ways, this was a curse too, as Wolfe's affection for each and every one of his sentences was boundless. After a tremendous struggle, Perkins induced Wolfe to cut 90,000 words from his first novel, Look Homeward, Angel (1929). His next, Of Time and the River (1935), was the result of a two-year battle during which Wolfe kept writing more and more pages in the face of an ultimately victorious effort by Perkins to hold the line on size. Grateful to Perkins at first for discovering him and helping him realize his potential, Wolfe later came to resent the popular perception that he owed his success to his editor. This was true in part, for without Perkins' firm hand it is unlikely that Wolfe could have been published. Wolfe left Scribner's after provoking numerous fights with Perkins to justify his departure. This ingratitude hurt Perkins, but did not keep him from serving selflessly as Wolfe's literary executor after his untimely death in 1938. Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 — July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. ... This article is about the novel. ... For the Machine Head song, see A Farewell to Arms (song). ... Photo by Carl Van Vechten For the contemporary author and journalist, see Tom Wolfe Thomas Clayton Wolfe (October 3, 1900 – September 15, 1938) was an important American novelist of the 20th century. ... Look Homeward, Angel is Thomas Wolfes first novel. ...

Although his reputation as an editor is most closely linked to these three, Perkins worked with many other writers. He was the first to publish J.P. Marquand and Erskine Caldwell. His advice was responsible for the enormous success of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, whose The Yearling (1938) grew out of suggestions made by Perkins. It became a runaway best-seller and won the Pulitzer Prize. Alan Paton's Cry the Beloved Country (1946) was another highly successful Perkins book. His last discovery was James Jones, who approached Perkins in 1945. Perkins persuaded Jones to abandon the novel he was working on at that time and launched him on what would become From Here to Eternity (1951). By this time Perkins' health was failing and he did not live to see its success, nor that of Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea (1952), which was dedicated to his memory. Perkins died on June 17, 1947 in Stamford, Connecticut. Erskine Caldwell photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1938 Erskine Preston Caldwell (December 17, 1903-April 11, 1987) was an American author born in a house in the woods outside Moreland, Georgia in Coweta County. ... Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings photo taken by Carl Van Vechten, 1953 Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (August 8, 1896 – December 14, 1953) was an American author who lived in remote rural Florida and wrote novels with rural themes and settings. ... The Yearling is a 1938 novel written by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. ... The Pulitzer Prize is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in print journalism, literary achievements, and musical composition. ... Alan Stewart Paton (11 January 1903 – 12 April 1988) was a South African author. ... Cry, The Beloved Country is a novel by South African author Alan Paton. ... Notable people by the name of James Jones: James Jones, 20th century American novelist James Warren Jim Jones, leader of the Peoples Temple religious movement during its infamous mass suicide James Earl Jones, actor James Jones, former US Ambassador to Mexico James L. Jones, American General and Supreme Allied... From Here to Eternity is a 1953 movie based on a James Jones novel in which characters work through ordinary bouts of intimidation and infidelity on a military base in the days preceding the attack on Pearl Harbor. ... The Old Man and the Sea is a novella (just over 100 pages in length) by Ernest Hemingway written in Cuba in 1951 and published in 1952. ... is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: Location in Connecticut Coordinates: , NECTA Region Settled 1641 Incorporated (city) 1893 Consolidated 1949 Government  - Type Mayor-Board of representatives  - Mayor Dannel Malloy (Dem) Area  - City 134. ...

Perkins was noted for his courtesy and thoughtfulness, which, though justly admired, are not what made him great. Among his gifts, two in particular stand out. He recognized good writing wherever he found it and nursed along writers as few editors did. That Ring Lardner has a reputation today, for example, is owing to the fact that Perkins saw him as more than a syndicated humorist. Perkins believed in Lardner more than the writer did in himself, and despite the failure of several earlier collections he coaxed Lardner into letting him assemble another under the title How To Write Short Stories (1924). The book sold well and, thanks to excellent reviews, established Lardner as a literary figure. Ringgold Wilmer Lardner (March 6, 1885 - September 25, 1933) was an American sports columnist and short story writer best known for his satirical takes on the sports world, marriage, and the theatre. ...

Apart from his roles as coach, friend, and promoter, Perkins was unusual among editors for the close and detailed attention he gave to books, and for what the novelist Vance Bourjaily, another of his discoveries, called his "infallible sense of structure." Although he never pretended to be an artist himself, Perkins could often see where an author ought to go more clearly than the writer did. That was true even of Fitzgerald, whose craftsmanship was exemplary. For this, and for his nurturing of talent, American literature is much in his debt.

Maxwell Perkins was the grandson of U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. Attorney General & U.S. Senator William M. Evarts, the great-great-grandson of Declaration of Independence signer Roger Sherman, and the uncle of Watergate Scandal special prosecutor Archibald Cox. He was also descended from the Puritans John Davenport and Theophilus Eaton, as well as Henry II of England. The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. ... Photograph of U.S. Secretary of State William M. Evarts William Maxwell Evarts (February 6, 1818–February 28, 1901) was an American lawyer and statesman. ... The United States Declaration of Independence was an act of the Second Continental Congress, adopted on July 4, 1776, which declared that the Thirteen Colonies in North America were Free and Independent States and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to... Shermans marble statue in the National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol. ... Watergate redirects here. ... Archibald Cox, Jr. ... Contemporary portrait of John Davenport John Davenport (April 9, 1597 – March 15, 1670) was a puritan clergyman and co-founder of the American colony of New Haven. ... Theophilus Eaton (1590 – January 7, 1658) was a merchant, farmer, and British colonial leader who was the co-founder and first governor of New Haven Colony, Connecticut. ... Henry II of England (called Curtmantle; 25 March 1133 – 6 July 1189) ruled as King of England (1154–1189), Count of Anjou, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. ...

Further reading

There is only one major biography of Perkins, the National Book Award-winning Max Perkins: Editor of Genius (1978), written by A. Scott Berg. Perkins' editorial papers are in the Charles Scribner's Sons collection at Princeton University. Perkins became known to the general public in his lifetime as a result of a profile by Malcolm Cowley, "Unshaken Friend," New Yorker (April 1 and 8, 1944). The National Book Awards is one of the most preeminent literary prizes in the United States. ... Lindbergh by A. Scott Berg Andrew Scott Berg (b. ... Princeton University is a private coeducational research university located in Princeton, New Jersey. ...

Perkin's correspondence with F. Scott Fitzgerald is collected in Dear Scott, Dear Max: The Fitzgerald-Perkins Correspondence, ed. John Kuehl and Jackson Bryer (1991). A similar book regarding Perkins' relationship with Hemingway is The Only Thing That Counts, ed. Matthew J. Bruccoli and Robert W. Trogdon. Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an American Jazz Age author of novels and short stories. ...

A third book of Mr. Perkins' letters is also in print: Editor to Author: The Letters of Maxwell E. Perkins, edited by John Hall Whhelock.

Perkins, Maxwell E. (Maxwell Evarts), 1884-1947; Correspondence and papers on Thomas Wolfe: Guide; Houghton Library, Harvard College Library

References

This article or section includes a list of references or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. You can improve this article by introducing more precise citations.

• "William Maxwell Evarts Perkins." Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998.

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External links

• Family tree of William Maxwell Perkins
• Thomas Wolfe Memorial - Maxwell Perkins
• Archibald Cox, Conscience of a Nation
• New England Historic Genealogical Society: Major Historical Figures Descended from Anne (Lloyd) (Yale) Eaton of the New Haven Colony