company name	Simon & Schuster
founded	1924
founder	Richard L. SimonM. Lincoln Schuster
headquarters	1230 Avenue of the AmericasRockefeller CenterNew York City
country	United States
keypeople	Robert Fair de GraffRobert GottliebMichael Korda
parent	CBS Corporation
divisions	Pocket Books
publications	Books
imprints	Many (see below)
url	www.simonandschuster.com }}

Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln ("Max") Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins. It publishes over two thousand titles annually under 35 different imprints.

History

Early years

Crossword puzzles first appeared in the ''New York World'' in 1913, and soon became a popular feature in newspapers. In 1924, Simon's aunt, a crossword puzzle devotee, asked Simon whether there was a book of these puzzles that she could give to a friend. Simon discovered that none had been published, and, with Schuster, launched a company to exploit the opportunity.

To attract attention, the book came with a pencil attached. The advertising campaign implied that it was about to become a new fad:

1921 — Coué

1922 — Mah Jong

1923 — Bananas

1924 — The crossword-puzzle book

The ad proved prophetic, and crossword puzzles were indeed the craze of 1924. Simon & Schuster continues to be the preeminent U.S. publisher of crossword puzzle books.

Expansion

In 1939, with Robert Fair de Graff, Simon & Schuster founded Pocket Books, America's first paperback publisher.

In 1942, Simon & Schuster, or "Essandess" as it is called in the initial announcement, launched the Little Golden Books series in cooperation with the Artists and Writers Guild. Simon & Schuster's partner in the venture was the Western Printing and Lithographing Company which handled the actual printing. Western Printing bought out Simon & Schuster's interest in 1958.

In 1944, Marshall Field III, owner of the ''Chicago Sun'' newspaper, purchased Simon & Schuster and Pocket Books. Following Field's death, in 1957 his heirs sold the company back to Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster, while Leon Shimkin and James M. Jacobson acquired Pocket Books.

Corporate ownership

In 1975, Gulf+Western acquired the company, and nine years later, Prentice Hall was brought into the company fold, followed by mapmaker Gousha in 1987. G+W would change its name to Paramount Communications in 1989.

In 1994, Paramount was sold to the original Viacom, allowing S&S to launch several new imprints in conjunction with channels owned by Viacom's MTV Networks. Simon & Schuster's first move under Viacom was the acquisition of Macmillan USA.

In 1996, Viacom sold Gousha to longtime rival Rand McNally, who closed the Gousha offices in Texas and discontinued all product lines.

In 1998, Viacom sold Simon & Schuster's educational operations, including Prentice Hall and Macmillan, to Pearson PLC, becoming part of Pearson Education.

Viacom would split into 2 companies at the end of 2005: one called CBS Corporation (which inherited S&S), and the other retaining the Viacom name. Despite the split, National Amusements retains majority control of both firms. As such, S&S continues to publish books based on Viacom properties, which since 2006 has included many DreamWorks films (Paramount/Viacom owned DreamWorks outright between 2006-08, back catalog still owned by Paramount/Viacom).

As part of CBS, Simon & Schuster is the primary publisher for books related to various media franchises owned by CBS, such as ''Mission: Impossible'', ''Star Trek'' and ''CSI''.

Personalities

Editors

Some of its prominent editors have been Robert Gottlieb and Michael Korda.

Authors

United States

Stephen E. Ambrose

Holly Black

Sandra Brown

A. S. Byatt

Jimmy Carter

Cassandra Clare

Mary Higgins Clark

Hillary Clinton

Heidi Cortez

Hilary Duff

Jesse Duplantis

Bob Dylan

Janet Evanovich

Becca Fitzpatrick

Doris Kearns Goodwin

Ursula K. Le Guin

Walter Isaacson

Malalai Joya

David McCullough

Audrey Niffenegger

Gilda Radner

Richard Rhodes

Rachel Renee Russell

R. L. Stine

Taboo (rapper)

Lauren Weisberger

Bob Woodward

United Kingdom

Jackie Collins

Joan Collins

Mark Gatiss

Richard Madeley

Mark Radcliffe

Pakistan

Pervez Musharraf

Salman Ahmad

Imprints

In addition to the main Simon & Schuster imprint are the following:

Adult

Atria

Beyond Words Publishing (specializes in publishing new age, self help, and inspiration stories with a "spiritual" focus.)

Free Press

Gallery Books

Howard Books

Pocket Books

Scribner

Strebor

The Touchstone and Fireside Group

Threshold Editions (specializes in publishing politically right-of-center books, including Jerome R. Corsi's controversial ''The Obama Nation'')

Mercury Ink

Young adults and children

Aladdin

Atheneum - initially a publishing house and adult imprint, it now publishes children's titles, formerly just part of its output.

Beach Lane Books

Little Simon

Margaret K. McElderry Books

Paula Wiseman

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Simon Pulse

Simon Spotlight

Footnotes

See also

List of largest UK book publishers

Media of New York City

References

"Simon & Schuster Inc." ''International Directory of Company Histories''. 4:671-672.

"Simon & Schuster Inc." ''International Directory of Company Histories''. 19:403-405.

External links

Simon & Schuster on VYou

Category:Book publishing companies based in New York Category:CBS Corporation subsidiaries Category:Rockefeller Center Category:Publishing companies established in 1924

Category:1924 establishments in the United States

de:Simon & Schuster fr:Simon & Schuster it:Simon & Schuster nl:Simon & Schuster no:Simon & Schuster pt:Simon & Schuster ro:Simon & Schuster ru:Simon & Schuster simple:Simon & Schuster

Hangul	심온
Hanja	沈溫
Rr	Sim On
Mr	Sim On }}

Sim On (1375–1418) was a Prime Minister of the Korean Joseon Dynasty, and the father of a Queen and father-in-law to King Sejong. He is most famously known for his unfortunate treason charges, which eventually led to his death and further strengthening of the royal power.

Background

Born of the Cheongsong Sim clan (靑松 沈氏), during the late Goryeo Dynasty, he passed the examination tests and entered the government. At that time, general Yi Seong-gye had full control of the government and had eliminated most of his rivals throughout Goryeo. Sim On, fully realizing that the Goryeo dynasty was at its end, joined Yi’s fraction and worked hard in bringing about a new dynasty. Finally, when General Yi rose to the throne in 1392, Sim On was one of those who gained a new post and influence in assisting Yi found the Joseon Dynasty.

In 1411, under King Taejong’s rule, Sim On was appointed to the post of administrating the province of Hamgyong-do. At his destination, he dismissed corrupt sheriffs and judges, and toiled in improving the governmental power in the region.

As Sim On was a very capable civil administrator, he was promoted several times, and also worked in the roles of the Minister of Industry, Civil Affairs and Agriculture. When the court began selecting the candidates for the princess consort of Chungnyeong (later King Sejong), he admitted his daughter into candidacy, resulting in her selection.

When Chungnyeong became king in the year 1418, Sim’s daughter "Lady Sim" (심씨; 沈氏, women were referred by only their family names; ssi means family) became Queen Sohunhwanghu, and Sim On rose to the office of "Prime Minister" the highest non-royal role in the country.

Scandal and Demise

When Sim On was appointed to the office of Prime Minister, the office of the "Western Minister" was occupied by a man named Park Eun (박은; 朴訔), of the Miryang Park clan. The relationship between these two ministers was atrocious, and there were frequent disputes between them.

Interestingly, at the time, King Taejong had resigned from his post of monarch and occupied the post of Retired King (태상왕; 太上王). However, most of the nation’s internal and external affairs were nevertheless run by Taejong, and the current King Sejong remained as a figurehead. As he was a general during the late Koryo days, Taejong was a firm, conservative, totalitarian despot. He frequently worried about the fact that the dynasty in the future would be ruled mostly by ministers, rather than by the Crown, like the Goryeo Dynasty. Therefore he took extensive measures to strengthen the authority of the royal court.

Due to this fact in the government, Sim-On’s younger brother Sim Jeong, complained that the King’s power was totally limited by the looming presence of Taejong. When this statement reached the ears of the Retired King, he condemned the whole Sim family. By the time Sim-On was one of the most influential men of the country. As the prime minister and father of the Queen, his presence could not be ignored.

Furthermore, "Western Minister" Park Eun framed Sim-On by revealing that On’s influence was overflowing. At this time, Sim-On had fulfilled his duty of Prime Minister by visiting the Ming Empire as an emissary of Joseon at Saeunsa (사은사; 謝恩使). He was just returning from his trip when he was arrested at the Korean territory of Uiju (의주; 義州) and transported under custody to the capital Hanyang, then to the city of Suwon (수원; 水原).

At Suwon he was tortured to be confirmed of his crimes. The director of the torture was unsurprisingly Park Eun, who had first framed the crime on Sim in the first place. Finally, after days of torture, Sim succumbed to the accusations and confessed. Just before he was executed, he muttered the famous phrase, “My descendants… Do not marry a Park. It will bring shame and misfortune to the family.”

Aftermath

After Sim On was executed for his fabricated crimes, Park Eun was then promoted to Prime Minister. Many of the Sim family were condemned, and even the Queen Soheon was threatened to be stripped of her title as queen. However, King Sejong tentatively tried to protect her, and fortunately succeeded.

However, Sim-On’s name became a taboo during the remainder of Taejong’s presence. Even Sejong could not regain the dignity of the minister’s name. However, when Sejong and Queen Soheon’s son King Munjong rose to the throne, Sim-On was absolved of his crimes, and posthumously reinstated to the office of Prime Minister. He was also made a lord, and is also known as Lord of Anhyo (안효공; 安孝公).

Nevertheless, the Sim family continued to prosper, with Sim-On’s second son Sim Hwe becoming Prime Minister during King Sejo’s reign.

Controversy

Even 700 years after the incident, the Sim and Park families have not reconciled about the incident, with the Sim family historically blaming Park Eun for the framing about treason. However, historians generally agree that Park was merely a tool in Taejong’s master plan of royal totalitarianism. As Taejong was a conservative king, he did not want a queen’s family gaining power and influence over the Joseon Dynasty. As his mindset was educated in the Goryeo Dynasty, he came to believe in the danger of handing over the power to another non-royal family, which could have led to another dynasty.

External links

Chongsong Sim Family Clan homepage: http://www.cheongsongsim.or.kr/

Category:1375 births Category:1418 deaths Category:Joseon Dynasty people Category:Executed Korean people Category:People executed by Korea

ko:심온