Buz Teacher

In 1972 Buz co-founded Running Press Book Publishers with his brother Larry, and it became one of the country’s largest independent publishers of all kinds of books except adult fiction. Starting out, they were inspired by the Whole Earth Catalog and other counterculture publications. After 35 years, Buz sold Running Press (now owned by Hachette Book Group) and remains active in publishing at Two Trees Press.

He recently co-edited and published AMONG FRIENDS: An Illustrated Oral History of American Book Publishing & Bookselling in the 20th Century with Janet Bukovinsky Teacher.

With support from industry colleagues, Buz tracked down more than 100 prominent figures in 20th century publishing and bookselling, and invited them to contribute first-person essays about their careers. Their anecdotes and fond recollections of the titles, authors, editors, publishers and entrepreneurs that helped shape American culture are illustrated with original photography of vintage book jackets, archival photos and period graphics from Publishers Weekly. These essays explain how 20th-century book publishing both reflected and responded to massive societal changes, from the post WWII period through the turbulent 1960s and ‘70s to the new millennium.

As a longtime publisher he could not resist making this informal history of the business he loves into a limited edition that pays homage to the creative and entrepreneurial spirit of American book publishing and bookselling.