Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Popular Books

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Biography & Facts

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (; HOH-tən; HMH) is an American publisher of textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, and reference works. The company is based in the Boston Financial District. It was formerly known as Houghton Mifflin Company, but it changed its name following the 2007 acquisition of Harcourt Publishing. Prior to March 2010, it was a subsidiary of Education Media and Publishing Group Limited, an Irish-owned holding company registered in the Cayman Islands and formerly known as Riverdeep. In 2022, it was acquired by Veritas Capital, a New York-based private-equity firm. Company history Ticknor and Allen, 1832 In 1832, William Ticknor and John Allen purchased a bookselling business in Boston and began to involve themselves in publishing; James T. Fields joined as a partner in 1843. Fields and Ticknor gradually gathered an impressive list of writers, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau. The duo formed a close relationship with Riverside Press, a Boston printing company owned by Henry Oscar Houghton. Houghton also founded his own publishing company with partner Melancthon Hurd in 1864, with George H. Mifflin joining the partnership in 1872.In 1878, Ticknor and Fields, now under the leadership of James R. Osgood, found itself in financial difficulties and merged its operations with Hurd and Houghton. The new partnership, named Houghton, Osgood and Company, and based in Boston's Winthrop Square, held the rights to the literary works of both publishers. When Osgood left the firm two years later, the business reemerged as Houghton, Mifflin and Company. Despite a lucrative partnership with Lawson Valentine, Houghton, Mifflin and Company still had debt it had inherited from Ticknor and Fields, so it decided to add partners. In 1884, James D. Hurd, the son of Melancthon Hurd, became a partner. In 1888, three others became partners as well: James Murray Kay, Thurlow Weed Barnes, and Henry Oscar Houghton Jr.Shortly thereafter, the company established an Educational Department, and from 1891 to 1908, sales of educational materials increased by 500 percent. The firm incorporated in 1908, changing its name to Houghton Mifflin Company. Soon after 1916, Houghton Mifflin became involved in publishing standardized tests and testing materials, working closely with such test developers as E. F. Lindquist. By 1921, the company was the fourth-largest educational publisher in the United States. In 1961, Houghton Mifflin famously passed on Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, giving it up to Alfred A. Knopf who published it in 1962. It became an overnight success, and is considered by many to be the bible of French cooking. Houghton Mifflin's strategic error was depicted in the 2009 film Julie & Julia. In 1967, Houghton Mifflin became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange under the stock symbol HTN. In 1979, Houghton Mifflin acquired the complete catalog of Parnassus Press, a Berkeley, California small press, established in 1957 by Herman Schein, the husband of writer-illustrator Ruth Robbins. Works by authors included: Ursula K. Le Guin, Theodora Kroeber, Nicolas Sidjakov, Edward Ormondroyd, Charlotte Zolotow, Anne B. Fisher, Allen Say, Beverly Cleary, Crawford Kilian, Adrien Stoutenburg, and Sam DeWitt. In 1979, Houghton Mifflin acquired Clarion Books, the children's division of Seabury Press. In 1980, Houghton Mifflin acquired the educational publishing operations of Rand McNally.Under (new from 1991) president Nader F. Darehshori Houghton Mifflin acquired McDougal Littell in 1994, for $138 million, an educational publisher of secondary school materials, and the following year acquired D.C. Heath and Company, a publisher of supplemental educational resources. In 1995, the company acquired Chapters Publishing, a publisher of cooking, garden, and craft titles. In 1996, the company created their Great Source Education Group to combine the supplemental material product lines of their School Division, McDougal Littell, and Heath. In 1998, HMH announced a sub-brand called LOGAL Software, which was to release a new line of interactive science software called Science Gateways, to support the United States curriculum. As of 2017, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is offering the "Logal Science" brand as a licensing opportunity on its website.In 2017, it was announced that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt would be getting involved in TV production with a planned 2019 Netflix series that will revive the Carmen Sandiego franchise. Mergers and acquisitions activities, 2001– Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activities have had major effects on this company. Vivendi purchase In 2001, Houghton Mifflin was acquired by French media giant Vivendi Universal for $2.2 billion, including assumed debt. Vivendi Universal already owned the British children's publisher Kingfisher, which became a Houghton Mifflin imprint. In 2002, facing mounting financial and legal pressures, Vivendi sold Houghton to private equity investors Thomas H. Lee Partners, Bain Capital, and Blackstone Group for $1.66 billion, including assumed debt (approximately 25% less than Vivendi had paid a year earlier). Riverdeep merger with Houghton Mifflin On December 22, 2006, it was announced that Riverdeep PLC had completed its acquisition of Houghton Mifflin. The new joint enterprise would be called the Houghton Mifflin Riverdeep Group. Riverdeep paid $1.75 billion in cash and assumed $1.61 billion in debt from the private investment firms Thomas H. Lee Partners, Bain Capital, and Blackstone Group. Tony Lucki, a former non-executive director of Riverdeep, remained in his position as the company's chief executive officer until April 2009.Houghton Mifflin sold its professional testing unit, Promissor, to Pearson plc in 2006. The company combined its remaining assessment products within Riverside Publishing, including San Francisco-based Edusoft. Harcourt merger On July 16, 2007, Houghton Mifflin Riverdeep announced that it signed a definitive agreement to acquire the Harcourt Education, Harcourt Trade, and Greenwood-Heinemann divisions of Reed Elsevier for $4 billion. The expanded company would become Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. McDougal Littell was merged with Harcourt's Holt, Rinehart & Winston to form Holt McDougal. In October 2007, Houghton Mifflin sold Kingfisher to Macmillan Publishers.On December 3, 2007, Cengage Learning (formerly Thomson Learning) announced that it had agreed to acquire the assets of the Houghton Mifflin College Division for $750 million, pending regulatory approval. On November 25, 2008, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt announced a temporary freeze on acquisition of new trade division titles, allegedly in response to the economic crisis of 2008. The publisher of the trade division resigned, apparently in protest. Many observers familiar with the publishing industry saw the move as a devastating blunder.Harcourt Religion wa.... Discover the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Houghton Mifflin Harcourt books.

Best Seller Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books of 2024

  • Recipes from Around Our Family Table synopsis, comments

    Recipes from Around Our Family Table

    Carrabba's Italian Grill

    Make dinner the Carrabba’s way tonight, with these tasty, Italian family recipes.For twentyfive years, Carrabba’s Italian Grill has offered its amici (Italian for “friends”) an ext...

  • When Jesus Became God synopsis, comments

    When Jesus Became God

    Richard E. Rubenstein

    “[A] panoramic view of early Christianity as it developed against the backdrop of the Roman Empire of the fourth century” (Publishers Weekly).   The story of Jesus is well kno...

  • Curious George at the Baseball Game synopsis, comments

    Curious George at the Baseball Game

    Margret Rey & H.A. Rey

    Play ball! A lively storybook starring the “adorable but troublemaking primate” (Forbes).   George is going to watch a baseball game, accompanied by the man with the yell...

  • The Crystal Desert synopsis, comments

    The Crystal Desert

    David G. Campbell

    The acclaimed author and biologist shares “a superb personal account [of Antarctica] . . . a remarkable evocation of a land at the bottom of the world” (Boston Globe...

  • Mr. Splitfoot synopsis, comments

    Mr. Splitfoot

    Samantha Hunt

    The strange odysseys of two young women animate this “hypnotic and glowing” American gothic novel that blurs the line between the real and the supernatural (Gregory Maguire, T...

  • The Shadow Lines synopsis, comments

    The Shadow Lines

    Amitav Ghosh

    “A stunning novel” following two familiesone British, one Bengalifrom the New York Times–bestselling author of Sea of Poppies (The New Republic).   Opening in Calcutta in...

  • More Fast Food My Way synopsis, comments

    More Fast Food My Way

    Jacques Pépin

    From the man Julia Child called “a great teacher,” an elegant cookbook full of fastyetflavorful recipes that take only minutes to make. Jacques Pépin Fast Food My Way was an immedi...

  • The Perfect Theory synopsis, comments

    The Perfect Theory

    Pedro G. Ferreira

    “One of the best popular accounts of how Einstein and his followers have been trying to explain the universe for decades” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).   Physicists have b...

  • Israeli Soul synopsis, comments

    Israeli Soul

    Michael Solomonov & Steven Cook

    The authors of the James Beard Awardwinning Zahav “mine the melting pot of Israel for the 70yearold country’s classic meals” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).   Coowne...

  • The Monk in the Garden synopsis, comments

    The Monk in the Garden

    Robin Marantz Henig

    This acclaimed biography of 19th century scientist Gregor Mendel is “a fascinating tale of the strange twists and ironies of scientific progress” (Publishers Weekly).  A ...

  • Love Without Wings synopsis, comments

    Love Without Wings

    Louis Auchincloss

    The author of The Vanderbilt Era examines sixteen famous friendships, from Boswell and Johnson to Hawthorne and Melville.This delightful series of short essays explores friendship ...

  • Fast Food My Way synopsis, comments

    Fast Food My Way

    Jacques Pépin

    Easy, everyday dishes with a French twist from the multiple James Beard Awardwinning chef, “a great teacher and truly a master technician” (Julia Child).   In this companion v...

  • Empress Orchid synopsis, comments

    Empress Orchid

    Anchee Min

    “A fascinating novel, similar to Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha . . . A revisionist portrait of a beautiful and strongwilled woman” (Houston Chronicle).   ...

  • The Big Roads synopsis, comments

    The Big Roads

    Earl Swift

    Discover the twists and turns of one of America’s great infrastructure projects with this “engrossing history of the creation of the U.S. interstate system” (Los Angeles Times). &#...

  • Mama synopsis, comments

    Mama

    Terry McMillan

    A “funny [and] touching” novel of an African American woman determined to triumph, by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Waiting to Exhale (Detroit Free Press).   Mil...

  • The Great Railway Bazaar synopsis, comments

    The Great Railway Bazaar

    Paul Theroux

    The acclaimed author recounts his epic journey across Europe and Asia in this international bestselling classic of travel literature: “Compulsive reading” (Graham Greene).   I...

  • The 300 Calorie Cookbook synopsis, comments

    The 300 Calorie Cookbook

    Betty Crocker

    A comprehensive collection of deliciously filling main dishesall 300 calories or less! Eating healthy and monitoring calories has never been easieror more deliciouswith this tempti...

  • Hitler synopsis, comments

    Hitler

    Joachim Fest

    “The best single volume available on the torturous life and savage reign of Adolf Hitler.” Time A bestseller in its original German edition and subsequently translated into more th...

  • 1,000 Mexican Recipes synopsis, comments

    1,000 Mexican Recipes

    Marge Poore

    A comprehensive guide to Mexican home cooking, with enough recipes to keep the table full for years!   Offering 1,000 recipes for traditional fare from all the regions of Mexi...

  • Changing Planes synopsis, comments

    Changing Planes

    Ursula K. Le Guin

    “A fantastical travel guide, reminiscent of Gulliver’s Travels,” from a narrator with “the eye of an anthropologist and the humor of a satirist.” USA Today   Hailed by Neil Ga...

  • Split-Second Persuasion synopsis, comments

    Split-Second Persuasion

    Kevin Dutton

    An “entertaining” look at the psychology and neuroscience behind the act of influencing others (Kirkus Reviews). People try to persuade us every day. From the news to the Internet ...

  • PrairyErth synopsis, comments

    PrairyErth

    William Least Heat-Moon

    This New York Times bestseller by the author of Blue Highways is “a majestic survey of land and time and people in a single county of the Kansas plains” (Hungry Mind Review).  ...

  • Chancellorsville synopsis, comments

    Chancellorsville

    Stephen W. Sears

    A new look at the Civil War battle that led to Stonewall Jackson’s death: A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year and “tour de force in military history” (Library Journal).  ...

  • The Informant synopsis, comments

    The Informant

    Thomas Perry

    “A master class in thriller writing” from the New York Times bestselling author of The Butcher’s Boy and Sleeping Dogs (Los Angeles Times).   In Thomas Perry’s Edgar Award–wi...

  • The Eye of the Elephant synopsis, comments

    The Eye of the Elephant

    Delia Owens & Mark Owens

    An “exciting” true account of battling the elephant poachers of Zambia by the author of Where the Crawdads Sing and her fellow biologist (The Boston Globe).   Intelligent...

  • 100 Years of the Best American Short Stories synopsis, comments

    100 Years of the Best American Short Stories

    Lorrie Moore & Heidi Pitlor

    Witness the everchanging history and identity of America in this collection of 40 stories collected from the first 100 years of this bestselling series.For the centennial celebrati...

  • The Beginning of Spring synopsis, comments

    The Beginning of Spring

    Penelope Fitzgerald

    Man Booker Prize Finalist: This “marvelous novel” about an abandoned husband, set in Moscow a century ago, is “bristling with wry comedy” (Newsday). March 1913. Moscow is stirring ...

  • Skylight synopsis, comments

    Skylight

    José Saramago

    The denizens of a rundown building in 1940s Lisbon come to sparkling life in this lost early novel by the Nobel Prizewinning author of Blindness. The renowned Portuguese author Jos...

  • The Robber Barons synopsis, comments

    The Robber Barons

    Matthew Josephson

    “The best, the liveliest and most illuminating” account of Rockefeller, Morgan, and the other men who seized American economic power after the Civil War (The New Republic).   ...

  • The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms synopsis, comments

    The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms

    Christine Ammer

    From “all systems go” to “senior moment”a comprehensive reference to idiomatic English.   The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms explores the meanings and origins of idio...

  • The Gate of Angels synopsis, comments

    The Gate of Angels

    Penelope Fitzgerald

    Shortlisted for the Booker Prize: A novel of two “wonderful characters” who meet by accident in Edwardian England, and fall inconveniently in love (The Washington Post).   In ...

  • One Bullet Away synopsis, comments

    One Bullet Away

    Nathaniel Fick

    The New York Times bestseller that “provides a closeup and often harrowing look at Fick’s service both in Iraq and Afghanistan” (U.S. News & World Report).   If the Marine...

  • Strip synopsis, comments

    Strip

    Thomas Perry

    “An amazingly entertaining crime novel” from the New York Times bestselling author of the Butcher’s Boy thrillers (Chicago SunTimes, Favorite Books of the Year).  One of ...

  • Delta Wedding synopsis, comments

    Delta Wedding

    Eudora Welty

    This novel of a Mississippi family in the 1920s “presents the essence of the Deep South and does it with infinite finesse” (The Christian Science Monitor). From one of the most tre...

  • A Thousand Days synopsis, comments

    A Thousand Days

    Arthur M. Schlesinger

    Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner: “Of all the Kennedy books . . . this is the best.” Time Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. served as special assistant to ...

  • No Man Is an Island synopsis, comments

    No Man Is an Island

    Thomas Merton

    The classic collection of essays for those seeking spiritual wisdom from the religious scholar, Trappist monk, and author of The Seven Storey Mountain.   A recapitulation of h...

  • Mary Poppins synopsis, comments

    Mary Poppins

    P. L. Travers

    The first four books featuring the world’s most beloved nanny, plus delightful bonus features!   Since the 1934 publication of Mary Poppins, stories of this magical nanny hav...

  • The Cave synopsis, comments

    The Cave

    José Saramago

    An unassuming family struggles to keep up with the ruthless pace of progress in “a genuinely brilliant novel” from a Nobel Prize winner (Chicago Tribune).  A Los Angeles Times...

  • In the Lake of the Woods synopsis, comments

    In the Lake of the Woods

    Tim O'Brien

    A politician’s past war crimes are revealed in this psychologically haunting novel by the National Book Award–winning author of The Things They Carried.   Vietnam veteran John...

  • The Old Patagonian Express synopsis, comments

    The Old Patagonian Express

    Paul Theroux

    The acclaimed travel writer journeys by train across the Americas from Boston to Patagonia in this international bestselling travel memoir.Starting with a rushhour subway ride to S...

  • Landscape Turned Red synopsis, comments

    Landscape Turned Red

    Stephen W. Sears

    “The best account of the Battle of Antietam” from the awardwinning, national bestselling author of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville (The New York Times Book Review). The Civil War b...

  • The Penultimate Truth synopsis, comments

    The Penultimate Truth

    Philip K. Dick

    In this dystopian novel from the author of The Man in the High Castle, humanity is forced to live underground while a great secret hides above them.In the future, most of huma...

  • Lectures on Literature synopsis, comments

    Lectures on Literature

    Vladimir Nabokov

    The acclaimed author of Lolita offers unique insight into works by James Joyce, Franz Kafka, Jane Austen, and otherswith an introduction by John Updike.   In the 1940s, when V...

  • Five Moral Pieces synopsis, comments

    Five Moral Pieces

    Umberto Eco

    In this prescient essay collection, the acclaimed author of Foucault’s Pendulum examines the cultural trends and perils at the dawn of the 21st century.In the last d...

  • The First Frontier synopsis, comments

    The First Frontier

    Scott Weidensaul

    “Excitement abounds in Scott Weidensaul’s detailed history of the first clashes between European settlers and Native Americans on the East Coast.”Nancy Marie Brown, author of The F...