George Braziller founded the American publishing house that bears his name in New York City in 1955. He had become interested in publishing while working as a shipping clerk during the Great Depression. In 1942, he founded his first book society: the Book Find Club. Although smaller than the Book of the Month Club, the Book Find Club became very successful, due to its reputation for seriousness of purpose. Braziller later established another club, the Seven Arts Book Society, in the early 1950s. (Both clubs were sold in 1969 to Time Incorporated for a reported US $350,000.) After setting up his own publishing house, Braziller released his first original title, Jacob Bronowski's The Face of Violence, and the first of a series of hardcover reprints, The Notes of Leonardo da Vinci (ctd. Murray p. 64).
As an independent publisher, Braziller could not compete with the major New York houses for established American authors, and subsequently began to search for works and authors from overseas. His success in this venture came during a visit to France around the time of the collapse of the de Gaulle government. It was then that he discovered the emerging group of avant garde writers, or 'anti-novelists,' several of whom went on to garner both critical and commercial success. Among these authors are Claude Mauriac, Julien Gracq, Claude Simon, Edouard Glissant, Nathalie Sarraute, and Genevieve Dorman. Braziller has since published a large number of English, European, Asian, Australian, New Zealand, and American authors, including significant names such as Jan Wolkers, Beryl Bainbridge, Sara Lidman, Janet Frame (q.v.), David Malouf (q.v.), David Ireland (q.v.), and Richard Kim.
Although well known for its literary titles, George Braziller has managed to nevertheless maintain an eclectic catalogue. It is, for example, highly regarded for its art and architecture publishing. The company's American Artists Series, first published in 1965, was responsible for offering early critical treatments of the works by contemporary artists such as Jackson Pollock, while The Library of Illuminated Manuscripts series is another acclaimed series of high-quality reprints. The company has also maintained a strong commitment to publishing in the social sciences (including urban affairs, ecology, environment, and American culture) as well as in areas such as history, philosophy, and music.
