The Publishers Who Lunch: The Social Networking of American Book Publishers

The Publishers’ Lunch Club, a genteel Manhattan institution, was founded in 1915 to provide a convivial, often bibulous setting for socializing among peers as well as a place where industry leaders could discreetly discuss important matters affecting the trade and the nation. It is still active. Membership has always reflected the trade’s changing demographics and responded to larger societal forces. Thus, this all-male, mostly WASP club eventually admitted Jews, women, and others. The evolution of the club has also responded to larger changes in the publishing industry, from the centralization of communications in New York City to the absorption of publishing firms in larger media companies.