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| Founded | 1970 (1970) |
|---|---|
| Founder | George Blagowidow |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Headquarters location | New York City |
| Distribution |
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| Publication types | Books |
| Nonfiction topics | foreign language study guides, internationalcookbooks, Polish-interest publishing |
| Official website | hippocrenebooks |
Hippocrene Books is an independentUSpublishing press located at 171 Madison Avenue,New York City,NY 10016. Hippocrene specializes inforeign language study guides, internationalcookbooks, and Polish-interest publishing.[2]
The foreign language catalog includes the Concise, Practical, and Standard Dictionary series, the travel-oriented Dictionary & Phrasebook series, and the Hippocrene Beginner's textbook series. In the past, Hippocrene has publishedbooks onfolklore, translations ofclassic literature, children's dictionaries, and travel guides.
The publishing side grew out of Optimum Book Marketing, established in 1970 by Polish immigrant George Blagowidow. The press takes its name from the mythicalHippocrene fountain associated with theMuses, as seen in the company logo.
Hippocrene Books, Inc., is distributed to the trade by Two River Distribution, an Ingram brand.
Hippocrene was started by George Blagowidow,[2] who was born inPoland to Russian parents and survived the Nazi occupation to escape communist Europe in 1945.[2] After attending university inAntwerp, Belgium, he came toNew York City in 1951, where he earned master’s and doctorate degrees in business fromNew York University.[2] He worked atDoubleday,Macmillan, andReader's Digest before starting his own publishing company with Hippocrene’s first list in spring 1972, featuring European literary classics intranslation, includingThe Doll byPolish novelistBolesław Prus.[2]
In 1973 the company began distributing foreign-language dictionaries for a German company and continued to thrive in that niche.[2] As of 2008, Hippocrene has published in over 112 languages, including Polish-interest books such asQuo Vadis byNobel Prize-winning novelistHenryk Sienkiewicz.[2]
Polish-interest publishing led to the launch of the cookbook business, with the publishing ofBest of Polish Cooking, by Karen West, in 1983. This highly successful book was followed by the publication ofThe Polish Country Kitchen: Expanded Edition andPolish Holiday Cookery. Hippocrene then expanded with additional ethnic cookbooks from other regions, publishing to date more than 80 titles.[2]
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