G. K. Hall & Co. is an American book publisher based in
Boston. It was founded sometime in the late 1950s by Garrison Kent Hall (1917–1973), who also had been an accountant. The firm initially, in the late 1950s through the 1960s, produced catalogs, in print and
microform, of collections of renowned libraries – notably the
New York Public Library. In the 1960s, Betty Jensen Hall’s new marketing strategy increased profits markedly and the firm expanded, producing other library references in the sciences, humanities, fine arts, and music. Beginning in 1971, two years after being acquired by
ITT, the firm became a leading pioneer of publishing
large-print editions of best-selling fiction and non-fiction books. In 1972 it acquired
Gregg Press the scholarly reprint company. In 1973 it acquired Twayne Publishers. In 1989 it acquired Sandak,[1] the art slide publisher. In 1990 it acquired
Thorndike Press, its main American large print competitor.
Succession of ownership
G. K. Hall was founded sometime in the 1950s and was incorporated in Massachusetts in December 1962. The company was acquired by
ITT in September 1969[2] and sold to
Macmillan Inc. in 1985. In 1990, Macmillan was acquired by Robert Maxwell, and in 1991 its order processing and shipping functions were moved to Riverside, N.J., its editorial and marketing functions distributed to other divisions, and its Boston office was closed. In 1999, G. K. Hall became an imprint of
Thomson Gale when Gale acquired its parent, Macmillan Reference USA.
Selected library references
Bibliographic Guide to Theatre Arts (1976)
Catalog of the Theatre and drama collections, 1967–1989;OCLC469347178
Betty Jensen Hall (1929-2009), co-owner and VP, comptroller (1960-1971)
Phillips A. Treleaven (1928–2000), President of G. K. Hall (1970-1978)
Thomas T. Beeler (1944-), Editor, Gregg Press and Twayne Publishers imprints (1972-1974); Editorial Director, General Publishing (1974-1978); President of G.K. Hall (1978–1991)
James Diamond, President of G. K. Hall (1991-1993)
Remo Alphonso Caroselli (1922–1968), Vice President