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Bennett CerfBennett Cerf
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Session:         Page of 1029

Q:

I want to ask you another question. Here...wasn't it Time that just bought Little, Brown?

Cerf:

Yes.

Q:

What disadvantages do you think that they will have in their merger that you might not have had?

Cerf:

I skipped over Time-Life. Time-Life and Random House had several conversations. After our stock was in the market and about two years before RCA came along, we discussed a possible merger with Time-Life, which had a lot of things at that time to recommend it. In one way it looked like a beautiful deal because Time-Life had built up a superb mail order department and we had, I think, the best juvenile list in the world and a potent back list. It looked like a glorious combination. We had a couple of conversations and got along beautifully. Two things worried us... One was the reputation of Time as being a rather reactionary publishing house. I was afraid that half of our big authors would walk out on us and I still think that that might have happened. Little, Brown is a much more conservative publishing house. They haven't got authors like William Styron and...

Q:

Faulkner.

Cerf:

Well, Bill Faulkner...! don't think...





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