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| == History == | == History == | ||
| Regnery Publishing was founded in 1947 as the Henry Regnery Company by ], and was originally located in ]. It originally had a close affiliation with the ], and published books for the ] series at the University, which were primarily classics. The first book published by Henry Regnery Company was the ''The German Opposition To Hitler'' by ], who was a close friend of Henry Regnery. One of the first well-known books it published (in 1951) was '']'' by ] Among its most famous books is the landmark '''Witness''' by ]. | |||
| In the 1970s Henry's son, ], worked at the company |
In the 1970s Henry's son, ], worked at the company. He was killed in a commercial airliner crash. In the 1980s, ], the other son of Henry (Henry F. Regnery's brother), took control of the company. In the 1990s, the Regnery family sold the publishing company to ], which put the book publishing company into its Eagle Publishing subsidiary. Eagle Publishing also publishes the weekly, ], which Ronald Reagan proclaimed to be his favorite newspaper. Alfred Regnery has subsequently left his post as President of Regnery Publishing to become the publisher of the conservative ] magazine. He still holds a seat on the Board of Directors. ] is also a member of the board. Alex Novak, son of political columnist ], is director of marketing. | ||
| In the 1970s Henry's son, ], worked at the company; he was killed in a commercial airliner crash. In the 1980s, ], the other son of Henry (Henry F. Regnery's brother), took control of the company. In the 1990s, the Regnery family sold the publishing company to ], which put the book publishing company into its Eagle Publishing subsidiary. Eagle Publishing also publishes the weekly, ]. Alfred Regnery has subsequently left his post as President of Regnery Publishing to become the publisher of the conservative ] magazine. He still holds a seat on the Board of Directors. ] is also a member of the board. Alex Novak, son of political columnist ], is director of marketing. | |||
| Regnery has served as the launching pad, or amplifier, for a great many conservative authors, including ] and ] before her death on ] on 9/11. Many conservative authors have become known through publication by Regnery, and then gone on to command a place in the mainstream media once Regnery helped make them famous. | |||
| In 2004, Regnery published '''Unfit for Command''' written by Dr. Jerome Corsi and former Swift Boat Veteran John O'Neill, who served in Vietnam at the same time and in the same grouping of boats as Presidential Candidate ]. John O'Neill debated John Kerry on national television on the Dick Cavett show in 1971 about John Kerry's allegations of war crimes and atrocities by U.S. soldiers. Inflamed by John Kerry running for Commander-in-Chief, a group of veterans formed Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. | |||
| On May 31, 2004, Corsi and O'Neil presented a proposal to Regnery after spending all weekend on it, with the assistance of radio talk show host Paul Schiffer, armed with bound examples of Corsi's proven writing skills from past books, and the incredible story John O'Neill had to tell from his real-life experiences in Vietnam. The book had not yet been written, and as a practical matter, purely for marketing, a book about John Kerry would have poor sales potential after the election. Corsi and O'Neill wrote the book in only one month. Regnery decided to roll out the book as soon as copies came off the presses, rather than building up an inventory first. The result was an incredible 'run' on copies of the book, sometimes unfairly blamed on bookstores, but entirely unintentional, driven by the calendar. | |||
| Regnery printed well more than 1 million copies of '''Unfit for Command''' and sold 850,000 copies or more. Unfit for Command is thought by many to have impacted the 2004 election, by causing an examination of John Kerry's military experience and capabilities to serve as President, and anti-military activities in the 1970's. | |||
| ==Controversy and criticism== | ==Controversy and criticism== | ||
| Regnery seeks to promote works and voices that would otherwise never be heard and challenge the national debate. As a result, a Regnery book is normally politically controversial. | |||
| ===Criticisms=== | |||
| In describing Regnery's position in the publishing world, ], then writer for the leftist '']'', said, | In describing Regnery's position in the publishing world, ], then writer for the leftist '']'', said, In describing Regnery's position in the publishing world, ], then writer for the leftist '']'', said, | ||
| ''Welcome to the world of Regnery Publishing—lifestyle press for conservatives, preferred printer of presidential hopefuls, and venerable publisher of books for the culture wars. Call it—gracelessly but more accurately—a medium-sized, loosely linked network of conservative types, with few degrees of separation and similar political aims. Just don't call it a conspiracy.'' | |||
| Regnery has published books by authors such as ], former ] Chairman ], ], and ]. | |||
| ⚫ | ====Alleged publishing of ] books==== | ||
| Some of Regnery's authors address the conventional wisdom about why many in the Islamic world seek to attack the West. | |||
| ⚫ | ====Alleged publishing of ] books==== | ||
| ], an academic scholar of Islamic studies, states that the Regnery Publishing, a subsidiary of Eagle Publishing and considered by many a leading conservative publishing company, is 'promoted and supported by right-wing organizations, who are perpetuating a type of bigotry similar to anti-Semitism and racial prejudice.' For example Ernst notes that ], whom Ernst views as a Islamophobe, has published some of his books through the Regnery Publishing press. <ref name="Ernst"> </ref> | ], an academic scholar of Islamic studies, states that the Regnery Publishing, a subsidiary of Eagle Publishing and considered by many a leading conservative publishing company, is 'promoted and supported by right-wing organizations, who are perpetuating a type of bigotry similar to anti-Semitism and racial prejudice.' For example Ernst notes that ], whom Ernst views as a Islamophobe, has published some of his books through the Regnery Publishing press. <ref name="Ernst"> </ref> | ||
| Ernst focuses on 'funding sources' of some other publishers, perhaps not intending to include Regnery, however Regnery has no 'funding sources' in that sense. Unlike the other organizations Ernst critques, Regnery is a for-profit publisher which makes money by selling books to consumers who want to read them. | |||
| ===Ben Domenech=== | |||
| In 2006, Regnery editor ] was discovered to be a serial plagiarist. Domenech was first accused of appropriating a chapter from O'Rourke's 1990 book "Modern Manners" for an editorial in '']'', a weekly student newspaper at William and Mary.<ref></ref> O'Rourke denied Domenech's claim that the humorist had granted permission to use his words, adding that he couldn't recall ever meeting the college student. <ref>, ''Washington Post Blogger Quits After Plagiarism Accusations'', Julie Bosman, March 25, 2006. The Times article quotes O'Rourke as saying, "I wouldn't want to swear in a court of law that I never met the guy," adding "but I didn't give him permission to use my words under his byline, no."</ref> | |||
| However, others counter that other publishers are not criticized for the books that their authors write, and that the Islamic world is unaccustomed to an open discussions of ideas and is in need of reform. Spencer claims to base his arguments and conclusions on Islam's own religious and historical texts. | |||
| Domenech resigned from his editing duties at Regnery Publishing March 21, 2006 upon launching "Red America." <ref></ref> <ref></ref> | |||
| ] subsequently cited an unnamed source at Regnery who said that the ''Post'' affair gave Regnery convenient cover for getting rid of a poor performer who neglected his editorial responsibilities to make connections and advance his political career. The source alleged that he displeased Malkin by removing a 27-word passage from her book '']'' <ref></ref>, but Regnery production staff denied this, saying the omission was a "layout error" and not Domenech's fault. | |||
| ===Conspiracy theories=== | ===Conspiracy theories=== | ||
| Regnery Publishing has put out many controversial books, some of which have contained information described by critics as questionable and sometimes inaccurate.{{fact}} For example, ''The Secret Life of Bill Clinton'' (1997), as noted in the Amazon.com editorial review, claimed the book "manages to connect the president to everything from 1997's ] to Arkansas's drug underworld to the mysterious death of White House aide and longtime Clinton friend ], and, of course, to ]." | Regnery Publishing has put out many controversial books, some of which have contained information described by critics as questionable and sometimes inaccurate.{{fact}} For example, ''The Secret Life of Bill Clinton'' (1997), as noted in the Amazon.com editorial review, claimed the book "manages to connect the president to everything from 1997's ] to Arkansas's drug underworld to the mysterious death of White House aide and longtime Clinton friend ], and, of course, to ]." | ||
| Conservatives, however, are equally adamant that the assertions in such books are correct. For example, during 'discovery' in the ] lawsuit, Judicial Watch uncovered an advance copy of Gary Aldrich's book "Unlimited Access" about the Clinton Administration which had been sent to the White House for preclearance on matters of security (not for political purposes) in keeping with established requirements. Rather than review the manuscript for any security concerns, then-Clinton staffer George Stephanopolous had marked up the manuscript with political objections and suggestions on how to attack Gary Aldrich politically to discredit the book. Thus it is often unclear whether charges of inaccuracy are genuine or pure politics. "Unlimited Access" was published by Regnery, and was indeed attacked by the Clinton White House upon its publication, just as Stephanopolous had pre-planned. | |||
| ==Publications== | ==Publications== | ||
| Books published by Regnery include: | Books published by Regnery include: | ||
Revision as of 04:57, 24 October 2006
Regnery Publishing, located in Washington, D.C., is a publisher that specializes in conservative books that they characterize on their website as “contrary to those of 'mainstream' publishers in New York.” The company has been a division of Eagle Publishing since 1993.
History
Regnery Publishing was founded in 1947 as the Henry Regnery Company by Henry Regnery, and was originally located in Chicago, Illinois. It originally had a close affiliation with the University of Chicago, and published books for the Great Books series at the University, which were primarily classics. The first book published by Henry Regnery Company was the The German Opposition To Hitler by Hans Rothfels, who was a close friend of Henry Regnery. One of the first well-known books it published (in 1951) was God and Man at Yale by William F. Buckley, Jr. Among its most famous books is the landmark Witness by Whittaker Chambers.
In the 1970s Henry's son, Henry F. Regnery, worked at the company. He was killed in a commercial airliner crash. In the 1980s, Alfred S. Regnery, the other son of Henry (Henry F. Regnery's brother), took control of the company. In the 1990s, the Regnery family sold the publishing company to Phillips Publishing, which put the book publishing company into its Eagle Publishing subsidiary. Eagle Publishing also publishes the weekly, Human Events, which Ronald Reagan proclaimed to be his favorite newspaper. Alfred Regnery has subsequently left his post as President of Regnery Publishing to become the publisher of the conservative American Spectator magazine. He still holds a seat on the Board of Directors. Pat Sajak is also a member of the board. Alex Novak, son of political columnist Robert Novak, is director of marketing.
In the 1970s Henry's son, Henry F. Regnery, worked at the company; he was killed in a commercial airliner crash. In the 1980s, Alfred S. Regnery, the other son of Henry (Henry F. Regnery's brother), took control of the company. In the 1990s, the Regnery family sold the publishing company to Phillips Publishing, which put the book publishing company into its Eagle Publishing subsidiary. Eagle Publishing also publishes the weekly, Human Events. Alfred Regnery has subsequently left his post as President of Regnery Publishing to become the publisher of the conservative American Spectator magazine. He still holds a seat on the Board of Directors. Pat Sajak is also a member of the board. Alex Novak, son of political columnist Robert Novak, is director of marketing.
Regnery has served as the launching pad, or amplifier, for a great many conservative authors, including Ann Coulter and Barbara Olson before her death on Flight 77 on 9/11. Many conservative authors have become known through publication by Regnery, and then gone on to command a place in the mainstream media once Regnery helped make them famous.
In 2004, Regnery published Unfit for Command written by Dr. Jerome Corsi and former Swift Boat Veteran John O'Neill, who served in Vietnam at the same time and in the same grouping of boats as Presidential Candidate John Kerry. John O'Neill debated John Kerry on national television on the Dick Cavett show in 1971 about John Kerry's allegations of war crimes and atrocities by U.S. soldiers. Inflamed by John Kerry running for Commander-in-Chief, a group of veterans formed Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.
On May 31, 2004, Corsi and O'Neil presented a proposal to Regnery after spending all weekend on it, with the assistance of radio talk show host Paul Schiffer, armed with bound examples of Corsi's proven writing skills from past books, and the incredible story John O'Neill had to tell from his real-life experiences in Vietnam. The book had not yet been written, and as a practical matter, purely for marketing, a book about John Kerry would have poor sales potential after the election. Corsi and O'Neill wrote the book in only one month. Regnery decided to roll out the book as soon as copies came off the presses, rather than building up an inventory first. The result was an incredible 'run' on copies of the book, sometimes unfairly blamed on bookstores, but entirely unintentional, driven by the calendar.
Regnery printed well more than 1 million copies of Unfit for Command and sold 850,000 copies or more. Unfit for Command is thought by many to have impacted the 2004 election, by causing an examination of John Kerry's military experience and capabilities to serve as President, and anti-military activities in the 1970's.
Controversy and criticism
Regnery seeks to promote works and voices that would otherwise never be heard and challenge the national debate. As a result, a Regnery book is normally politically controversial.
In describing Regnery's position in the publishing world, Nicholas Confessore, then writer for the leftist American Prospect, said, In describing Regnery's position in the publishing world, Nicholas Confessore, then writer for the leftist American Prospect, said, Welcome to the world of Regnery Publishing—lifestyle press for conservatives, preferred printer of presidential hopefuls, and venerable publisher of books for the culture wars. Call it—gracelessly but more accurately—a medium-sized, loosely linked network of conservative types, with few degrees of separation and similar political aims. Just don't call it a conspiracy.
Alleged publishing of Islamophobic books
Some of Regnery's authors address the conventional wisdom about why many in the Islamic world seek to attack the West.
Carl Ernst, an academic scholar of Islamic studies, states that the Regnery Publishing, a subsidiary of Eagle Publishing and considered by many a leading conservative publishing company, is 'promoted and supported by right-wing organizations, who are perpetuating a type of bigotry similar to anti-Semitism and racial prejudice.' For example Ernst notes that Robert Spencer, whom Ernst views as a Islamophobe, has published some of his books through the Regnery Publishing press.
Ernst focuses on 'funding sources' of some other publishers, perhaps not intending to include Regnery, however Regnery has no 'funding sources' in that sense. Unlike the other organizations Ernst critques, Regnery is a for-profit publisher which makes money by selling books to consumers who want to read them.
However, others counter that other publishers are not criticized for the books that their authors write, and that the Islamic world is unaccustomed to an open discussions of ideas and is in need of reform. Spencer claims to base his arguments and conclusions on Islam's own religious and historical texts.
Conspiracy theories
Regnery Publishing has put out many controversial books, some of which have contained information described by critics as questionable and sometimes inaccurate. For example, The Secret Life of Bill Clinton (1997), as noted in the Amazon.com editorial review, claimed the book "manages to connect the president to everything from 1997's Oklahoma City bombing to Arkansas's drug underworld to the mysterious death of White House aide and longtime Clinton friend Vince Foster, and, of course, to Paula Jones."
Conservatives, however, are equally adamant that the assertions in such books are correct. For example, during 'discovery' in the Filegate lawsuit, Judicial Watch uncovered an advance copy of Gary Aldrich's book "Unlimited Access" about the Clinton Administration which had been sent to the White House for preclearance on matters of security (not for political purposes) in keeping with established requirements. Rather than review the manuscript for any security concerns, then-Clinton staffer George Stephanopolous had marked up the manuscript with political objections and suggestions on how to attack Gary Aldrich politically to discredit the book. Thus it is often unclear whether charges of inaccuracy are genuine or pure politics. "Unlimited Access" was published by Regnery, and was indeed attacked by the Clinton White House upon its publication, just as Stephanopolous had pre-planned.
Publications
Books published by Regnery include:
- Aldrich, Gary. Unlimited Access. ISBN 0-89526-454-4.
- Horowitz, David. Unholy Alliance: Radical Islam and the American Left. ISBN 0-89526-076-X.
- Davis, Mark and Tyrrell, Emmett. Madame Hillary: The Dark Road to the White House. Regnery Publishing, 2004 ISBN 0-89526-067-0
- Evans-Pritchard, Ambrose. The Secret Life of Bill Clinton Regnery 1997, ISBN 0-89526-408-0
- Malkin, Michelle. In Defense of Internment: The Case for "Racial Profiling" in World War II and the War on Terror. ISBN 0-89526-051-4.
- Nietzsche, Friedrich. Philosophy in the Tragic Age of the Greeks. 1996 reprint: ISBN 0-89526-710-1. Translated with an introduction by Marianne Cowan.
- Olson, Barbara. Hell to Pay: The Unfolding Story of Hillary Rodham Clinton. ISBN 0-89526-274-6.
- O'Neill, John E.; & Corsi, Jerome E. Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry. ISBN 0-89526-017-4.
- Patteron, Robert. Reckless Disregard: How Liberal Democrats Undercut Our Military, Endanger Our Soldiers, and Jeopardize Our Security. ISBN 0-89526-086-7.
- Schlafly, Phyllis. The End of an Era. ISBN 0-89526-659-8.
- Spencer, Robert The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (And the Crusades). 2005. ISBN 0-89526-013-1.
- Woods, Thomas. The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History. 2004. ISBN 0-89526-047-6.
- Bethell, Tom. The Politically Incorrect Guide to Science. 2005. ISBN 0-89526-031-X
- Lucas, Carrie L.. The Politically Incorrect Guide to Women, Sex and Feminism 2005 ISBN 1-59698-003-6
- Wells, Jonathan. The Politically Incorrect Guide to Darwinism and Intelligent Design. 2006. ISBN 1-59698-013-3
- Kantor, Elizabeth. The Politically Incorrect Guide to English and American Literature. 2006. ISBN 1-59698-011-7
Regnery is a sister company of the conservative newspaper Human Events.