original grove press edition

We just read about the passing of Barney Rosset, founder of Grove Press. Founded in 1951, Grove became infamous for publishing controversial, avant-garde, and “obscene” works by writers like Samuel Beckett, William Burroughs, Jean Genet, Jack Kerouac, D.H. Lawrence, and Henry Miller. Rosset’s risk-taking as a publisher was admirable, even if it was sometimes off-the-cuff; his New York Times obituary recounts his decision to publish the The Autobiography of Malcolm X before even reading it. Whatever his process was, though, it worked. And as he told the Times a few years ago: “Should we have had more of a business plan? Probably. But then the publishers that did have business plans didn’t do any better.” 

With Rosset’s vision and gumption, here’s what might not have come into the world:

original grove press edition

original Grove press edition

original grove press editio

Related posts: ‘fail better’ (samuel beckett)
henry miller’s eleven commandments
self-publishing your own… point of view
how ‘not giving a sh*t can really help you a lot’
the 7 vices of highly creative people

If you’ve found illumination, joy, or inspiration in this post, please consider supporting Improvised Life. It only takes a minute to make a secure donation that helps pay our many costs. A little goes a long way towards helping Improvised Life continue to live ad-free in the world.

Support Improvised Life ♥

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *