Joseph J. Thorndike
Encyclopedia
Joseph Jacobs Thorndike (July 29, 1913 – November 22, 2005) was an American editor and writer. He was Managing Editor of Life
for three years in the late 1940s, and a co-founder of American Heritage
and Horizon
magazines.
Thorndike was born and raised in Peabody, Massachusetts
, a small town north of Boston
. His father was a stockbroker, his mother a teacher. Thorndike was a straight A student at Peabody High, valedictorian
of his class, and a writer for two school magazines.
At Harvard ('34) he majored in Economics, but spent much of his time at The Harvard Crimson
, rising to Managing Editor his junior year, and to President his senior year.
In June 1934, he started work at Time magazine
, writing People, Miscellany and Education articles. He was asked by Henry Luce
to join a group planning a new picture magazine, and when Life debuted in 1936, Thorndike, though only 23, was an associate editor of the magazine.. His immediate boss at Life was John Shaw Billings, the first Managing Editor. Billings kept a diary in which, according to Loudon Wainwright's book The Great American Magazine: An Inside History of Life, he called Thorndike "a mulish young Yankee," and "a stubborn little New England cuss" Wainwright himself called Thorndike "a handsome, bright, reserved, efficient fellow...ambitious, proud, marked from the start for bigger things."
In 1946, as Life' s circulation topped five million, Thorndike became the magazine's third Managing Editor, a position he held for three years. Toward the end of his stay, disagreements grew between him and Luce. Life, in late 1948, had published a "Life Goes To A Party" story about an uninhibited dance party in Hawaii, including photos of scantily-dressed partygoers. Luce's reaction was to subject the Managing Editor to more supervision, which Thorndike resisted. The dispute came to a head in August, 1949, after Luce circulated a memoir proposing an "Editor-in-Chief's Committee" that would decide on all future articles for the magazine. Thorndike read it, packed his briefcase and resigned.
In 1950, Thorndike and another refugee from Life, Oliver Jensen, formed a small publishing company, Picture Press. They put out a book of cowboy photos by Life photographer Leonard McCombe, and a lavish picture book for Ford Motor Company, Ford at Fifty. James Parton, whom Thorndike had known at the Crimson, joined them in 1952 to create Thorndike Jensen & Parton, and in 1954 they took over a small history publication named American Heritage
. They enlarged it, turned it into a hardcover, profusely illustrated bimonthly with no advertisements, and hired popular American Civil War
historian Bruce Catton
as editor and writer.
Circulation at American Heritage rose to over 300,000. David McCullough
, author of the bestsellers Truman and John Adams, and writer and editor for the magazine, later said that it was "the best place I ever worked as an employee... They were receptive to new ideas, with very high editorial standards, high accuracy, and quality writing... You felt like you were cast in a hit show with great people."
A second magazine, Horizon, followed in 1958, and over the next three decades the company published dozens of illustrated books on history, art and architecture. Thorndike wrote two of them: The Magnificent Builders And Their Dream Houses (1978), and The Very Rich: A History of Wealth (1985).
American Heritage sold to McGraw-Hill
in 1970, to Forbes
in 1986, and to an independent publisher, Edwin S. Grosvenor
, in 2007.
In his early seventies, Thorndike served for two years as head of The American Heritage Dictionary Usage Panel, a group of writers and scholars who are polled on acceptable English usage.
In 1993 Thorndike published his last book, The Coast: A Journey Down the Atlantic Shore, which Kirkus Reviews
described as "an effective combination of eyeball observation, rich history, and sad acknowledgment of how poorly we have used still another national resource."
Thorndike was married twice: to Virginia Lemont in 1940, with whom he had two sons, John and Alan, and to Margery Darrell in 1964, with whom he had a son, Joe. For twenty-eight years until she died in 2004, Thorndike had a close relationship with his "great and good friend" Jane Allport.
Thorndike died in 2005 of complications from Alzheimer's and congestive heart failure. He is buried in the Island Pond Cemetery in Harwich, Massachusetts.
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
for three years in the late 1940s, and a co-founder of American Heritage
American Heritage (magazine)
American Heritage is a quarterly magazine dedicated to covering the history of the United States for a mainstream readership. Until 2007, the magazine was published by Forbes. Since that time, Edwin S...
and Horizon
Horizon (U.S. magazine)
Horizon was a magazine published in the United States from 1958 to 1989. Originally published by American Heritage as a bi-monthly hardback, Horizon was subtitled A Magazine of the Arts. In 1978 Boone Inc. bought the magazine, which continued to cover the arts...
magazines.
Thorndike was born and raised in Peabody, Massachusetts
Peabody, Massachusetts
Peabody is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population is about 53,000. Peabody is located in Boston's North Shore suburban area.- History :...
, a small town north of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. His father was a stockbroker, his mother a teacher. Thorndike was a straight A student at Peabody High, valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
of his class, and a writer for two school magazines.
At Harvard ('34) he majored in Economics, but spent much of his time at The Harvard Crimson
The Harvard Crimson
The Harvard Crimson, the daily student newspaper of Harvard University, was founded in 1873. It is the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates...
, rising to Managing Editor his junior year, and to President his senior year.
In June 1934, he started work at Time magazine
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, writing People, Miscellany and Education articles. He was asked by Henry Luce
Henry Luce
Henry Robinson Luce was an influential American publisher. He launched and closely supervised a stable of magazines that transformed journalism and the reading habits of upscale Americans...
to join a group planning a new picture magazine, and when Life debuted in 1936, Thorndike, though only 23, was an associate editor of the magazine.. His immediate boss at Life was John Shaw Billings, the first Managing Editor. Billings kept a diary in which, according to Loudon Wainwright's book The Great American Magazine: An Inside History of Life, he called Thorndike "a mulish young Yankee," and "a stubborn little New England cuss" Wainwright himself called Thorndike "a handsome, bright, reserved, efficient fellow...ambitious, proud, marked from the start for bigger things."
In 1946, as Life
In 1950, Thorndike and another refugee from Life, Oliver Jensen, formed a small publishing company, Picture Press. They put out a book of cowboy photos by Life photographer Leonard McCombe, and a lavish picture book for Ford Motor Company, Ford at Fifty. James Parton, whom Thorndike had known at the Crimson, joined them in 1952 to create Thorndike Jensen & Parton, and in 1954 they took over a small history publication named American Heritage
American Heritage (magazine)
American Heritage is a quarterly magazine dedicated to covering the history of the United States for a mainstream readership. Until 2007, the magazine was published by Forbes. Since that time, Edwin S...
. They enlarged it, turned it into a hardcover, profusely illustrated bimonthly with no advertisements, and hired popular American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
historian Bruce Catton
Bruce Catton
Charles Bruce Catton was an American historian and journalist, best known for his books on the American Civil War. Known as a narrative historian, Catton specialized in popular histories that emphasized colorful characters and historical vignettes, in addition to the basic facts, dates, and analyses...
as editor and writer.
Circulation at American Heritage rose to over 300,000. David McCullough
David McCullough
David Gaub McCullough is an American author, narrator, historian, and lecturer. He is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian award....
, author of the bestsellers Truman and John Adams, and writer and editor for the magazine, later said that it was "the best place I ever worked as an employee... They were receptive to new ideas, with very high editorial standards, high accuracy, and quality writing... You felt like you were cast in a hit show with great people."
A second magazine, Horizon, followed in 1958, and over the next three decades the company published dozens of illustrated books on history, art and architecture. Thorndike wrote two of them: The Magnificent Builders And Their Dream Houses (1978), and The Very Rich: A History of Wealth (1985).
American Heritage sold to McGraw-Hill
McGraw-Hill
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., is a publicly traded corporation headquartered in Rockefeller Center in New York City. Its primary areas of business are financial, education, publishing, broadcasting, and business services...
in 1970, to Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
in 1986, and to an independent publisher, Edwin S. Grosvenor
Edwin S. Grosvenor
Edwin S. Grosvenor is a writer, and the editor-in-chief of American Heritage magazine.Prior to purchasing the latter from Forbes, he was involved in a number of publishing and software enterprises, including Portfolio, a fine arts magazine published in the 1970s and '80s...
, in 2007.
In his early seventies, Thorndike served for two years as head of The American Heritage Dictionary Usage Panel, a group of writers and scholars who are polled on acceptable English usage.
In 1993 Thorndike published his last book, The Coast: A Journey Down the Atlantic Shore, which Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus . Kirkus serves the book and literary trade sector, including libraries, publishers, literary and film agents, film and TV producers and booksellers. Kirkus Reviews is published on the first and 15th of each month...
described as "an effective combination of eyeball observation, rich history, and sad acknowledgment of how poorly we have used still another national resource."
Thorndike was married twice: to Virginia Lemont in 1940, with whom he had two sons, John and Alan, and to Margery Darrell in 1964, with whom he had a son, Joe. For twenty-eight years until she died in 2004, Thorndike had a close relationship with his "great and good friend" Jane Allport.
Thorndike died in 2005 of complications from Alzheimer's and congestive heart failure. He is buried in the Island Pond Cemetery in Harwich, Massachusetts.
Books
- The Magnificent Builders and Their Dream Houses - Hardcover: 352 pages, American Heritage Publishing Co. (1978), ISBN 978-0828130646
- The Very Rich: A History of Wealth - Hardcover: 344 pages, American Heritage Publishing Co. (1985), ISBN 978-0517362341.
- The Coast: A Journey Down the Atlantic Shore - Hardcover: 227 pages, St. Martin's Press (1993), ISBN 0-312-08700-4