John G. Ryan

John G. Ryan in 1956

John Gerard Ryan (1910–1989) was an American publisher, president of P.F. Collier & Son Corporation[1] and of The Richards Company, Inc., a subsidiary of Grolier Incorporated.[2] He was pivotal to the 1950s and 1960s expansion of the American encyclopedia business that placed reference libraries in millions of homes.[3][4] He published and marketed Collier's Encyclopedia, The Harvard Classics, the New Book of Knowledge, the American Peoples Encyclopedia, and other reference works.[5] Ryan helped middle and low income families afford in-home libraries by permitting customers to pay over time with small monthly payments.[6][7][8]  

Ryan's profitable leadership of P.F. Collier & Son supplied the cash flow that kept its parent company, The Crowell-Collier Publishing Company (later renamed Macmillan, Inc), solvent in the 1950s as it closed its money-losing magazines, including Collier's,[9][10] and grew into one of the world's largest book publishers.[11][12] At P.F. Collier & Son, he employed the conservative intellectual William Terry Couch as editor of Collier’s Encyclopedia and instructed Couch to begin compilation of what became Collier’s Encyclopedia’s 24-volume 1962 edition.[13][14] At Grolier, publishers of Encyclopedia Americana, he built The Richards Company, Inc., into Grolier's highest sales volume book division.[15] Ryan also pioneered the sale of American encyclopedias in overseas markets.[16]

  1. ^ Kaslow, Joseph (December 29, 1955). "Named by Collier". New York Herald Tribune. p. A7.
  2. ^ The Record, Hackensack, New Jersey, Feb 05, 1989 · Page 35
  3. ^ Encyclopaedia Britannica ends print run, Robert Channick, L.A. TIMES ARCHIVES, 14 Mar 2012, Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)
  4. ^ "300 Millionth Book". The Morning Call. March 31, 1957. p. 39.
  5. ^ Shiflett, Orvin Lee (2013). William Terry Couch and the Politics of Academic Publishing: An Editor's Career as Lightning Rod for Controversy. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company. p. 147. ISBN 978-0786499816.
  6. ^ P.F. Collier Associates (1958). Twenty Five Eventful Years in the History of P.F. Collier Corporation, 1933-1958. New York, New York: P.F. Collier and Son Corporation.
  7. ^ "CE Acceptance By Libraries Is Sales Aid,” Collier’s Cyclorama, Vol 2. No 4., P.F. Collier and Son Corporation, New York NY, July 1957. Page 2
  8. ^ “Collier Book Output Passes 200 Millions,” Collier’s Cyclorama, Vol 1. No 2., P.F. Collier and Son Corporation, New York NY, March 1956. Page 1
  9. ^ Publisher Eyes Dividends in ‘58” The Bridgeport Telegram, Bridgeport, Connecticut, 17 Jul 1957, Page 32. Retrieved 11 Jun 2021
  10. ^ Colliers, ‘Companion” to stop publishing in Jan.". Star-Gazette (Elmira, New York) 15 Dec 1956, Sat Page 2. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  11. ^ Crowell Collier to Absorb Macmillan Publishing Firm” The Miami Herald, Miami, Florida, 30 Jun 1960, Page 44. Retrieved 11 Jun 2021.
  12. ^ “Crowell Collier is Buying Control of Macmillan,” The New York Times, New York, NY. 30 Jun 1960, Page 27. Retrieved 11 Jun 2021
  13. ^ Orvin Lee Shiflett William Terry Couch and the Politics of Academic Publishing: An Editor's Career as Lightning Rod for Controversy (Jefferson, North Carolina): McFarland and Company, Inc. 2013) Page154.
  14. ^ “New Collier’s Encyclopedia Has Astronaut Glenn’s Orbital Flight.” Lexington Herald-Leader (Lexington, Kentucky) 10 Jun 1962, Page 65. Retrieved 11 Jun 2021
  15. ^ Federal Trade Commission ftc_volume_decision_91_january_-_june_1978pages_315-503.pdf page 338.
  16. ^ 100 Fly to Paris, Collier Book Executives to Attend a Trade Convention., The New York Times. 24 Dec 1956