Tag Archives: the book business

Cashing In On Harriet: Posthumous Publications

After Fitzhugh’s death, her literary executor, Lois Morehead, began mining her papers for further publishable material. The first to appear was I Am Five, a picture book which Fitzhugh had written and illustrated. Published by Delacorte in 1978, this book … Continue reading

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Nobody’s Family is Going to Change

Emma Sheridan is eleven and knows exactly what she wants to be when she grows up: a lawyer, just like her father. Her little brother Willie is only seven, and he’s also got his future mapped out. He’s going to … Continue reading

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Suzuki Beane and Bang Bang You’re Dead

Fitzhugh got her first taste of publishing three years before Harriet the Spy, when she drew the black and white illustrations for Sandra Scoppettone’s Suzuki Beane (1961). This little story is a parody of Eloise in which the main character … Continue reading

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Other Authors’ Sequels

Following Fitzhugh’s death in 1974, her friend Lois Morehead became the literary executor for her estate, a role she continued until her death late in 2009 (Morehead obituary). For reasons that are not clear, in 2000 Morehead moved the entire … Continue reading

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Sport

Sport tells the story of Harriet’s friend Simon Rocque (Sport to his friends). When we last saw Sport, in Harriet the Spy, he was living with his impoverished, impractical, writer father and his mother was nowhere to be seen. Sport … Continue reading

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The Long Secret

The Long Secret follows Harriet and Beth Ellen during a summer they spend in Water Mill, a resort town on Long Island. Though not close friends in the city, during summers the two girls are thrown together, as both families … Continue reading

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Sequel and Sequelae

Fitzhugh appears to have considered the story of Harriet essentially complete with Harriet the Spy. Nonetheless, she immediately turned to a sequel, possibly as a result of urging from Nordstrom. She managed this by making Harriet a secondary character and … Continue reading

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Harriet Criticized

Rather like Harriet herself, Harriet the Spy did not make its observations about the world without evoking consternation and disapproval. Many early reviews were favourable. Gloria Vanderbilt (footnote), writing in the New York Times, gave the book a sweet review. … Continue reading

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Harriet is Born

Harriet the Spy was published in the fall of 1964, following several months of meetings and mentoring with Nordstrom and Zolotow. Nordstrom’s correspondence reveals a variety of marketing strategies. They sent the manuscript or advance copies to reviewers as well … Continue reading

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