Frederick Klein and Charles R. Byrne, both former Avon Books executives, founded The Berkley Publishing Corporation in 1954, situating its headquarters at 145 West Fifty-seventh Street, New York City. With Klein as president and Byrne as executive vice-president/editor in chief, the company initially published two magazines, Chic (a woman's periodical) and News. A year later, Berkley abandoned its periodical line and moved into paperback reprints, mainly westerns and mysteries. Following Klein's departure in 1956, Byrne became president, as well as retaining the role of editor in chief. He was succeeded as president in 1960 by Stephen Conland. By this time, Berkley had branched out into science fiction, publishing titles by prominent writers such as Philip Jose Farmer, Philip K. Dick, Roger Zelazny, Clifford D. Simak, and Robert E. Howard.
Berkley moved several times during the early 1960s, first to 101 Fifth Avenue and later to East Twenty-sixth Street. When it became the paperback arm of G. P. Putnam's in 1965, the company again moved, this time to 200 Madison Avenue. Although it was acquired by MCA Inc. in 1975, Berkley continued to maintain a focus on high-quality science fiction. Among the more prominent titles published during this period were Robert A. Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land (1968), Frank Herbert's Dune Messiah (1975) and Children of Dune (1976), and William Kotzwinkle's E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982).
In 1979, Berkley acquired Jove Publications (formerly Pyramid Publications) from Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Although Jove, under the management of publisher Bill Gross, maintained its independence as an imprint, both companies shared sales operations. The acquisition also resulted in Berkley appointing Victor Tempkin (formerly of Bantam Books) as president. When the Putnam Group took over Grosset and Dunlap in 1983, its imprints Ace (including Ace Charter Books) and Playboy Press, along with Jove and Berkley Books, became divisions of the Berkley Publishing Corporation. While the Playboy lists were eventually absorbed into Berkley, Ace (as with Jove) remained a distinct imprint. 1983 also saw David Shanks appointed president of the company. Within two years, Berkley and its various divisions were responsible for publishing over 800 titles a years.
In 1996, Penguin Books USA merged with Putnam Berkley Group. Leslie Gelbman was subsequently appointed president, publisher, and editor in chief of Berkley Books. Since the 2000s, Berkley has published an average of 700 titles a year. Among its best-known authors have been Tom Clancy, Robin Cook, Patricia Cornwell, Sue Grafton, Kate Jacobs, Robert B. Parker, Laurell K. Hamilton, and Christine Feehan.
Australian authors to have been published by Berkley include Arthur Upfield, Colin Free, Tony Kenrick, Thomas Keneally, Maxwell Grant, Anne Gracie, Alex Miller, and Tom Petsinis (qq.v.).
