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Bennett CerfBennett Cerf
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Session:         Page of 1029

But it was quite an achievement at the time and quite a success.

Then, about this time, in 1937, we began building the juvenile department at Random House, which didn't amount to very much until Smith and Haas came with us. With Smith and Haas came their juvenile editor, a superb girl, called Louise Bonino.

Q:

Is she still with you?

Cerf:

She's still on part time with us, by her own wish. She wanted to retire.

Harcourt Brace had a great system in those days. They got the honor graduates from Hunter College every year.

Q:

They got...pardon?

Cerf:

The honor graduate from the English department from Hunter in New York and offered her a job. Louise Bonino was one of these girls who had won honors at Hunter. At Harcourt she rapidly established herself as great. Then she went over with Smith and Haas. For various personal reasons, she didn't stay at Harcourt.

She went over to Smith and Haas and came with them to us. We didn't realize at the time what a valuable star this was...because the juvenile department of Random House today is one of the biggest in the country and probably the best.





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