At Random: The Reminiscences of Bennett Cerf

Bennett Cerf was in the right place at the right time, "a rather unusual specimen in that not only [he] but all four of [his] grandparents and both of [his] parents were born on the island of Manhattan." Cerf's memoirs are entitled "At Random", as fits his place as co-founder of Random House, one of the largest and most successful publishing houses of the 20th Century, but the title also reflects...more

Bennett Cerf was in the right place at the right time, "a rather unusual specimen in that not only [he] but all four of [his] grandparents and both of [his] parents were born on the island of Manhattan." Cerf's memoirs are entitled "At Random", as fits his place as co-founder of Random House, one of the largest and most successful publishing houses of the 20th Century, but the title also reflects the meandering nature of the book. Roughly chronological, it begins by following Cerf through his days at Columbia to his entry into the publishing business as a vice president at the office of Horace Liveright. Once there, the book really takes off, alternating between stories of the people Cerf met, befriended, and worked with ("Eugene O'Neill was too much of a brawler for me in those early days...), and stories about his work as a publisher ("Oh, God, did I get bawled out by Horace, and rightly. Three hundred dollars for a catalogue cover!"). Along the way, Cerf gives advice, complemented by his exploits: "Every publisher worth his salt has to publish poetry, even some that he knows he's going to lose money on, and over the years we have done our share." There's much to be learned here, not only about publishing, but also about what Cerf felt was the right way to run a business. My favorite anecdote involves George Bernard Shaw: "Suddenly out of the shadows a man appeared, grabbed Shaw's hand and said, "Mr. Shaw, my name is Rothschild and I think you're the greatest man alive today." Shaw, without pausing for one second, in full stride, said, "Goodby, Mr. Rothschild," and pushed him aside and we walked on. We had gone about twenty steps when I let out a wild whoop, and Shaw joined in, explaining, "That's the way I get rid of them.""   hide