CCBC-Net Archives
[CCBC-Net] CCBC-Net Digest, Vol 11, Issue 3
- Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]
From: Neal Porter <nporter>
Date: Tue, 06 Jun 2006 09:43:44 -0400
Folks,
If you'll indulge me, here's a piece of ancient history:
In 1985 when the companies for whom I was then working (Atheneum and Scribners) was bought by Macmillan, I was given the responsibility of merging the paperback programs under the Aladdin name. At around the same time, Macmillan acquired the assets of Bobbs-Merrill. Shortly thereafter, I was handed a printout of a long list of biographies; the designated author for each was listed as COFAS.
I ordered copies in from the warehouse and discovered that Mr. or Ms. Cofas was actually an acronym for--you guessed it--Childhood Of Famous Americans. B-M had begun repackaging the titles as paperbacks with red, white and blue covers but as soon as I cracked one open I recognized the books (page design, illustrations) that I too had loved as a child (George Washington Carver, Jim Thorpe, and Jim Bowie were my favorites). We knew the books were largely fictionalized, and that they didn't pass muster with non fiction criteria of that (and this) time but that they DID fill a need. We repackaged a few more but by then we were scraping the bottom of the barrel and new titles were commissioned. I left Macmillan shortly thereafter but I'll leave it to the good folk at Bobbs-Merrill/Macmillan/Simon and Schuster Aladdin to continue the saga.
Best, Neal Porter Roaring Brook Press
On 6/3/06 1:00 PM, "ccbc-net-request at ccbc.education.wisc.edu"
<ccbc-net-request at ccbc.education.wisc.edu> wrote:
> Send CCBC-Net mailing list submissions to
> ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
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>
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>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of CCBC-Net digest..."
>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Re: Childhood of Famous American series (Books
> withOrangeCovers) (Kbshepler at aol.com)
> 2. Re: Childhood of Famous American series (Books
> withOrangeCovers) (Jeanatkins at aol.com)
> 3. Announcement - CLN Summer Conference (Reid, Robert A.)
> 4. Re: Childhood of Famous American series
> (BookswithOrangeCovers) (Ellen Greever)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sat, 3 Jun 2006 02:42:05 EDT
> From: Kbshepler at aol.com
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Childhood of Famous American series (Books
> withOrangeCovers)
> To: ccbc-net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu
> Message-ID: <330.50e983c.31b2893d at aol.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
>
>
> I have a selection of the still published "Childhood of Famous Americans"
> books (now with a blue, white and red cover) on my elementary school library
> shelves. They are read regularly by a certain group of young readers. Can
> anyone
> tell me if/how these titles differ from the "orange cover" versions that
> loom so large in the memory of some list members?
>
> Kathy
>
> Kathy Shepler, Librarian
> Aurora School
> Oakland, CA
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Sat, 3 Jun 2006 07:58:26 EDT
> From: Jeanatkins at aol.com
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Childhood of Famous American series (Books
> withOrangeCovers)
> To: Kbshepler at aol.com, ccbc-net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu
> Message-ID: <3ed.33c476c.31b2d362 at aol.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
>
> Hi, Kathy,
> Someone may give you a less anecdotal answer, but my impression is that
> while the text is much the same,they carry an innocence that keeps them from
> having the punch for today's readers that they did for those of us who loved
> them, for more than their worn canvas scent, in the fifties and sixties. What
> remains, though, is the feeling that these were kids just like them, a
> delightful message.
>
> Jeannine
>
> Jeannine Atkins
> www.JeannineAtkins.com
> How High Can We Climb? The Story of Women Explorers (Farrar, Straus and
> Giroux 2005)
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Sat, 3 Jun 2006 10:47:48 -0500
> From: "Reid, Robert A." <REIDRA at uwec.edu>
> Subject: [CCBC-Net] Announcement - CLN Summer Conference
> To: <CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu>
> Message-ID: <BDD0A3EABE40F04A8C7200805EDE5A6A04866699 at PEPSI.uwec.edu>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> All - I'm sending this on behalf of Vicki and Steve Palmquist of the
> Children's Literature Network.
> Rob Reid
>
>
> Life sends surprises.
>
> One day you're celebrating the publication of your first book-or another
> book-and your friends are jumping up and down with congratulations.
>
> The next day you wake up and realize that you're now a self-employed person, a
> small business owner, an entrepreneur. Maybe those hats feel a little
> uncomfortable. Maybe they're intriguing. Suddenly, you're supposed to know
> about insurance, marketing, retirement funds, promotion, remainders, and
> making a living. Yikes!
>
> Have we got a conference for you! Newly published or often published,
> comfortable with fame or not, you'll think these are the best two days you've
> spent in recent memory. Learn, share, network, and leave feeling like the
> smart business owner you know you can be.
>
> You're at the Helm! the business of writing and illustrating for children
>
> July 26-27, 2006 - Medina Golf & Country Club, Minneapolis, Minnesota
>
> featuring Kristine O'Connell George, Nikki Grimes, Teri Lesesne, Arthur
> Levine, Stephen Roxburgh, Anita Silvey
>
> Authors, illustrators, editors, marketing specialists, teachers and more share
> their wisdom with you.
>
> Creative tuition pricing for creative people (up to $100 off for enlisting
> non-CLN members)!
>
> http://www.childrensliteraturenetwork.org/confrenc/rg_gycin.html
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Sat, 3 Jun 2006 11:12:12 -0500
> From: "Ellen Greever" <greever at sois.uwm.edu>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Childhood of Famous American series
> (BookswithOrangeCovers)
> To: <Jeanatkins at aol.com>, <Kbshepler at aol.com>,
> <ccbc-net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu>
> Message-ID:
> <C9CC4BE4D5D1BF4986B701B4966AC62003DB11 at s18.sois.uwm.local>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> There's one other significant difference (unless they've changed since they
> first started being re-issued). They don't have the useful back matter the
> originals did. I remember particularly appreciating the time lines that showed
> what else was happening while the person was alive. There was also usually a
> bibliography and glossary. Less useful were dopey comprehension questions.
> Ellen Greever
> UW-Milwaukee
> (an avid reader of them in 3rd grade who felt cheated when I found out in
> library school that they were fiction)
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu on behalf of Jeanatkins at aol.com
> Sent: Sat 6/3/2006 6:58 AM
> To: Kbshepler at aol.com; ccbc-net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Childhood of Famous American series
> (BookswithOrangeCovers)
>
>
>
> Hi, Kathy,
> Someone may give you a less anecdotal answer, but my impression is that
> while the text is much the same,they carry an innocence that keeps them from
> having the punch for today's readers that they did for those of us who loved
> them, for more than their worn canvas scent, in the fifties and sixties. What
> remains, though, is the feeling that these were kids just like them, a
> delightful message.
>
> Jeannine
>
> Jeannine Atkins
> www.JeannineAtkins.com
> How High Can We Climb? The Story of Women Explorers (Farrar, Straus and
> Giroux 2005)
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
>
>
> End of CCBC-Net Digest, Vol 11, Issue 3
> ***************************************
Received on Tue 06 Jun 2006 08:43:44 AM CDT
Date: Tue, 06 Jun 2006 09:43:44 -0400
Folks,
If you'll indulge me, here's a piece of ancient history:
In 1985 when the companies for whom I was then working (Atheneum and Scribners) was bought by Macmillan, I was given the responsibility of merging the paperback programs under the Aladdin name. At around the same time, Macmillan acquired the assets of Bobbs-Merrill. Shortly thereafter, I was handed a printout of a long list of biographies; the designated author for each was listed as COFAS.
I ordered copies in from the warehouse and discovered that Mr. or Ms. Cofas was actually an acronym for--you guessed it--Childhood Of Famous Americans. B-M had begun repackaging the titles as paperbacks with red, white and blue covers but as soon as I cracked one open I recognized the books (page design, illustrations) that I too had loved as a child (George Washington Carver, Jim Thorpe, and Jim Bowie were my favorites). We knew the books were largely fictionalized, and that they didn't pass muster with non fiction criteria of that (and this) time but that they DID fill a need. We repackaged a few more but by then we were scraping the bottom of the barrel and new titles were commissioned. I left Macmillan shortly thereafter but I'll leave it to the good folk at Bobbs-Merrill/Macmillan/Simon and Schuster Aladdin to continue the saga.
Best, Neal Porter Roaring Brook Press
On 6/3/06 1:00 PM, "ccbc-net-request at ccbc.education.wisc.edu"
<ccbc-net-request at ccbc.education.wisc.edu> wrote:
> Send CCBC-Net mailing list submissions to
> ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> ccbc-net-request at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
>
> You can reach the person managing the list at
> ccbc-net-owner at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of CCBC-Net digest..."
>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Re: Childhood of Famous American series (Books
> withOrangeCovers) (Kbshepler at aol.com)
> 2. Re: Childhood of Famous American series (Books
> withOrangeCovers) (Jeanatkins at aol.com)
> 3. Announcement - CLN Summer Conference (Reid, Robert A.)
> 4. Re: Childhood of Famous American series
> (BookswithOrangeCovers) (Ellen Greever)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sat, 3 Jun 2006 02:42:05 EDT
> From: Kbshepler at aol.com
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Childhood of Famous American series (Books
> withOrangeCovers)
> To: ccbc-net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu
> Message-ID: <330.50e983c.31b2893d at aol.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
>
>
> I have a selection of the still published "Childhood of Famous Americans"
> books (now with a blue, white and red cover) on my elementary school library
> shelves. They are read regularly by a certain group of young readers. Can
> anyone
> tell me if/how these titles differ from the "orange cover" versions that
> loom so large in the memory of some list members?
>
> Kathy
>
> Kathy Shepler, Librarian
> Aurora School
> Oakland, CA
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Sat, 3 Jun 2006 07:58:26 EDT
> From: Jeanatkins at aol.com
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Childhood of Famous American series (Books
> withOrangeCovers)
> To: Kbshepler at aol.com, ccbc-net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu
> Message-ID: <3ed.33c476c.31b2d362 at aol.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
>
> Hi, Kathy,
> Someone may give you a less anecdotal answer, but my impression is that
> while the text is much the same,they carry an innocence that keeps them from
> having the punch for today's readers that they did for those of us who loved
> them, for more than their worn canvas scent, in the fifties and sixties. What
> remains, though, is the feeling that these were kids just like them, a
> delightful message.
>
> Jeannine
>
> Jeannine Atkins
> www.JeannineAtkins.com
> How High Can We Climb? The Story of Women Explorers (Farrar, Straus and
> Giroux 2005)
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Sat, 3 Jun 2006 10:47:48 -0500
> From: "Reid, Robert A." <REIDRA at uwec.edu>
> Subject: [CCBC-Net] Announcement - CLN Summer Conference
> To: <CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu>
> Message-ID: <BDD0A3EABE40F04A8C7200805EDE5A6A04866699 at PEPSI.uwec.edu>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> All - I'm sending this on behalf of Vicki and Steve Palmquist of the
> Children's Literature Network.
> Rob Reid
>
>
> Life sends surprises.
>
> One day you're celebrating the publication of your first book-or another
> book-and your friends are jumping up and down with congratulations.
>
> The next day you wake up and realize that you're now a self-employed person, a
> small business owner, an entrepreneur. Maybe those hats feel a little
> uncomfortable. Maybe they're intriguing. Suddenly, you're supposed to know
> about insurance, marketing, retirement funds, promotion, remainders, and
> making a living. Yikes!
>
> Have we got a conference for you! Newly published or often published,
> comfortable with fame or not, you'll think these are the best two days you've
> spent in recent memory. Learn, share, network, and leave feeling like the
> smart business owner you know you can be.
>
> You're at the Helm! the business of writing and illustrating for children
>
> July 26-27, 2006 - Medina Golf & Country Club, Minneapolis, Minnesota
>
> featuring Kristine O'Connell George, Nikki Grimes, Teri Lesesne, Arthur
> Levine, Stephen Roxburgh, Anita Silvey
>
> Authors, illustrators, editors, marketing specialists, teachers and more share
> their wisdom with you.
>
> Creative tuition pricing for creative people (up to $100 off for enlisting
> non-CLN members)!
>
> http://www.childrensliteraturenetwork.org/confrenc/rg_gycin.html
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Sat, 3 Jun 2006 11:12:12 -0500
> From: "Ellen Greever" <greever at sois.uwm.edu>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Childhood of Famous American series
> (BookswithOrangeCovers)
> To: <Jeanatkins at aol.com>, <Kbshepler at aol.com>,
> <ccbc-net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu>
> Message-ID:
> <C9CC4BE4D5D1BF4986B701B4966AC62003DB11 at s18.sois.uwm.local>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> There's one other significant difference (unless they've changed since they
> first started being re-issued). They don't have the useful back matter the
> originals did. I remember particularly appreciating the time lines that showed
> what else was happening while the person was alive. There was also usually a
> bibliography and glossary. Less useful were dopey comprehension questions.
> Ellen Greever
> UW-Milwaukee
> (an avid reader of them in 3rd grade who felt cheated when I found out in
> library school that they were fiction)
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu on behalf of Jeanatkins at aol.com
> Sent: Sat 6/3/2006 6:58 AM
> To: Kbshepler at aol.com; ccbc-net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Childhood of Famous American series
> (BookswithOrangeCovers)
>
>
>
> Hi, Kathy,
> Someone may give you a less anecdotal answer, but my impression is that
> while the text is much the same,they carry an innocence that keeps them from
> having the punch for today's readers that they did for those of us who loved
> them, for more than their worn canvas scent, in the fifties and sixties. What
> remains, though, is the feeling that these were kids just like them, a
> delightful message.
>
> Jeannine
>
> Jeannine Atkins
> www.JeannineAtkins.com
> How High Can We Climb? The Story of Women Explorers (Farrar, Straus and
> Giroux 2005)
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
>
>
> End of CCBC-Net Digest, Vol 11, Issue 3
> ***************************************
Received on Tue 06 Jun 2006 08:43:44 AM CDT
