The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America

Sara B. Franklin's The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America traces the career of Judith Jones, whose contributions to literature include publishing Anne Frank’s diary, Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, the U.S. edition of Sylvia Plath’s first collection of poetry, The Colossus, and John Updike’s Rabbit novels, to name just a few.  

Jones' career began in earnest in 1949, when she advocated for the publication of Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. Her subsequent years as a publisher coincided with decades of cultural revolution in America. The publications that Jones helped nurture throughout her 50 years as an editor shaped American culture in the period between World War II and the civil rights movement and fight for women’s equality. 

The Washington Post has written about both NEH Public Scholars book The Editor and Judith Jones’ work and contributions to contemporary American culture.