Edwin S. Grosvenor

Edwin Stuart Grosvenor
Born Washington, D.C.
Occupation Editor, Publisher, Nonprofit Manager
Language English
Nationality U.S.A.
Alma mater B.A., Yale College; M.S.(journalism), Columbia Journalism School; M.B.A., Columbia School of Business
Notable works Alexander Graham Bell: The Life and Times of the Inventor of the Telephone
Spouse Deborah C. Grosvenor
Children Alexander M. Grosvenor, Stuart C. Grosvenor

Edwin S. Grosvenor (born September 17, 1951 in Washington, D.C.) is a writer, the editor-in-chief of American Heritage magazine,[1] and the great-grandson of Alexander Graham Bell. His father was Melville Bell Grosvenor (1901–1982), a former president of the National Geographic Society.

Career

Grosvenor worked as a freelance photographer for National Geographic, completing 23 assignments for the magazine and its book division. On several occasions, he was the photographer for articles written by his father, Melville Grosvenor, in Canada, Greece, and Turkey.[2]

In 1979, Grosvenor launched the fine arts magazine Portfolio,.[3][4] "Since no magazine was going to hire a 27-year-old to be editor in chief, the only solution was to start my own," he told a reporter for the Palm Beach Post.[5] In 1983, Portfolio was a Finalist for a National Magazine Award in the General Excellence category.[6]

In 1992, Grosvenor founded the literary magazine Current Books, which included 20-25 excerpts of recent books in each issue. It published an eclectic mix of writing by such authors as Martin Amis, E.L. Doctorow, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Jane Goodall, Stephen Hawking, Richard Leakey, John McPhee, Bill Moyers, Joyce Carol Oates, George Plimpton, Salman Rushdie, and John Updike.

Although Current Books published for only three years, it claimed to be "the most widely distributed book publication in bookstores" at the time with copies for sale in 3,840 stores.[7] The magazine was widely regarded in the literary community and in 1995 Grosvenor was asked to serve on the NEA's Literary Publishing Panel. Its members elected him as the Chairman of the panel.[8]

In 1996, Grosvenor founded KnowledgeMax, an online bookseller and elearning company, which merged with Sideware Systems in 2000.[9] The resulting company, called KnowledgeMax, Inc., and was publicly traded until 2003.[10]

In 2007 Grosvenor led a group of investors who purchased American Heritage from Forbes.

Grosvenor is a member of Organization of American Historians and the American Antiquarian Society.[11] He earned a BA from Yale College (1974), an MS (Journalism) from the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University and an MBA from the Columbia Business School (1976).

Writing

Grosvenor is the author, with Morgan Wesson, of Alexander Graham Bell: The Life and Times of the Man Who Invented the Telephone (Harry N Abrams, 1997),[12] a biography of his great-grandfather. He also authored Try it!: the Alexander Graham Bell Science Activity Kit, published by the National Geographic Society in 1992.[13]

Awards

Grosvenor received the President's Award from Historic Deerfield in 2012.[14]

References

Citations

  1. ↑ "Edwin S. Grosvenor". AmericanHeritage.com.
  2. ↑ Grosvenor, Melville B. "Homeward with Ulysses". National Geographic. 144, No. 1 (July 1973): 1.
  3. ↑ Powell, Jim (April 13, 1979). "Finding the Ads in Art". The New York TImes.
  4. ↑ Zito, Tom (Mar 20, 1979). "Building a 'Portfolio'" (page B1). The Washington Post.
  5. ↑ Quigley, Kathleen (March 20, 1979). "He Isn't Content with Tradition". Palm Beach Daily News.
  6. ↑ "National Magazine Awards - Winners and Finalists". American Society of Magazine Editors.
  7. ↑ Webster, Dan (July 30, 1995). "Current Books Opens Window Into Literature". Spokane Spokesman-Review: Features section.
  8. ↑ "National Endowment for the Arts 1996 Annual Report". p. page 173.
  9. ↑ "Sideware Systems and KnowledgeMax Agree to Merge; Sideware To Reincorporate in the United States and To Adopt the KnowledgeMax Name," PRNewsire, December 7, 2000.
  10. ↑ Per documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the initial Form S-4 filing.
  11. ↑ "Members Directory". American Antiquarian Society.
  12. ↑ Grosvenor, Morgan Wesson and Edwin S. (1997). Alexander Graham Bell: The Life and Times of the Inventor of the Telephone. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. p. 304. ISBN 978-0810940055.
  13. ↑ Grosvenor, Edwin S., Try It!: the Alexander Graham Bell Science Activity Kit, National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C., 1992. Record at WorldCat.
  14. ↑ "Passion for History, Generosity Honored at Historic Deerfield". HistoricDeerfield.org. Retrieved June 10, 2012.

Bibliography