George Platt Brett, Sr.
| George Platt Brett, Sr. | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
8 December 1858 London, England, Great Britain |
| Died | 18 September 1936 (aged 77) Fairfield, Connecticut, United States |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | College of the city of New York |
| Occupation | Publisher |
| Known for | Publisher of Jack London |
| Children |
George Platt Brett, Jr. Claire L. Brett Kinney Richard M Brett |
| Parent(s) |
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George Platt Brett, Sr. (8 December 1858 – 18 September 1936) was a British-born chairman and publisher of the American division of Macmillan Publishing. He was best known for serving as publisher, friend, and mentor of American author Jack London. Under Brett's leadership, Macmillan became one of the largest publishers in America. Sales grew from $50,000 in 1890 and grew to $8.5 million in 1931. In 1931, Macmillan annuals produced between 600 and 700 titles.
In 1874 George Platt Brett, joined the MacMillan as a traveling salesman, then succeeded his father, George Edward Brett, in the American office in New York in 1887.George Edward Brett of England started the New York branch of Macmillan Publishing at Clayton Hall in 1869 under the recommendation of Alexander Macmillan (publisher).
In 1890, the New York branch became an independent office and moved to Bond Street.
In 1889, Brett was a founding member of the American Publishers Association.
On December 4, 1900, Brett attended a reception and dinner for Mark Twain at the Aldine Club that "was the most notable event of the kind that has ever taken place at that club."
In 1902, Brett became the first American publisher to visit London.
In 1896, Brett was asked by the Macmillans to head the New York office. Brett instead insisted he become a partner in a new American corporation. “In 1896, the Macmillan house was divided into two newly established entities, The Macmillan Company in New York and Macmillan & Co., Ltd., of London. The two companies were both controlled by the Macmillan family (which retained about 61 percent of the American company's stock until the 1951 split); they freely shared titles and authors and made use of the company's worldwide network of sales branches established in the early twentieth century in such ports of call as Bombay (established 1901); Toronto (1904); Calcutta (1907); Melbourne (1912); and Madras (1913). Nevertheless, the creation of a separate company in New York was destined to have profound implications for the house of Macmillan, as the American organization outstripped its parent and eventually required complete independence at mid-century.”
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