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Dan Frank

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American editorial director (1954–2021)

Dan Frank (March 27, 1954 – May 24, 2021) was an American editorial director at Pantheon Books.

Early life

Frank was born in New York City to parents Joan (née Heming) and John Frank. His mother "produced TV shows for Hallmark and was director of publicity for the nonprofit Central Park Conservancy" while his father "ran a travel agency."

When Frank was in high school, he began taking night classes in philosophy at The New School, auditing Hannah Arendt's lectures and reading texts found on her syllabi. After graduating high school, he attended Haverford College, where he received a degree in philosophy in 1976. Afterward, he earned a master's degree "from the interdisciplinary program the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago."

He attended Haverford College and received a master's degree from the University of Chicago.

While working as an editorial assistant at Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Frank met a Lowy, whom he married in 1982.

Career

Viking Books

Frank served as the editorial director at Viking Books. During his time with Viking Books, Frank worked alongside James Gleick, publishing Chaos: Making a New Science, which became a best seller and critical success. This work "represented the sort of literary nonfiction (and fiction) that Dan would aspire to: well-informed, elegantly written, presenting complex subjects accessibly, helping readers enter and understand realms they had not known about before." Gleick continued to work with Frank throughout his career.

Pantheon Books

Frank began working at Pantheon Books in 1991 when many believe the world of publishing was on the decline, serving as the vice president and senior editor. Due to issues regarding budgeting and creative control, Pantheon had recently lost the company head, Andre Schiffrin, and many editors left with him.

From 1996 to 2020, Frank served as the editorial director, "setting the tone for the house and overseeing the list ." Under Frank's guidance, "Pantheon became well known as a publisher of narrative science, world literature, contemporary fiction, and graphic novels." Frank led Pantheon Books to begin a new era in book publishing with his interest in "sophisticated comics and graphic novels." By 2000, The New York Times named Pantheon the industry leader in graphic novels.

Pantheon authors have won two Pulitzer Prizes, as well as several National Book Awards, National Book Critics Circle Awards, and Eisner Awards.

Speaking of Frank's role at Pantheon, Reagan Arthur, executive vice president and publisher of Knopf, Pantheon, and Schocken, noted, "As important as the books he published and the authors he edited, Dan served as a mentor to younger colleagues, endlessly generous with his time and expertise."

Authors served

While working with Pantheon, Frank worked with various prestigious authors. The following is an incomplete list:

Death

Frank died of cancer at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital; he was 67. He is survived by his wife (Patty), as well as three sons (Jasper, Lucas and Cole) and a grandson.

Reagan Arthur, executive vice president and publisher of Knopf, Pantheon, and Schocken, announced Frank's death, noting "that Frank was so identified with the imprint it was known to some as 'Dantheon.'"

References

  1. Byng, Jamie (June 11, 2021). "Obituary: Dan Frank". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on 2021-12-27. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  2. ^ The Associated Press (24 May 2021). "Dan Frank, revered editor at Pantheon Books, dead at 67". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2021-05-25. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  3. ^ Traub, Alex (2021-06-02). "Dan Frank, Adventurous Book Editor, Is Dead at 67". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  4. ^ Fallows, James (2021-05-25). "Dan Frank Was a Gifted and Generous Editor - The Atlantic". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 2021-05-25. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  5. ^ Milliot, Jim (May 25, 2021). "Dan Frank, Influential Pantheon Editor, Dies at 67". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on 2021-05-25. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  6. ^ Myers, Maya (May 26, 2021). "Obituary Note: Dan Frank". Shelf Awareness. Archived from the original on 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  7. "Annual Leon Levy Biography Lecture: Ramachandra Guha". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2022-12-07. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
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