Alfred A Knopf

Alfred A. Knopf , 1892-1984, American publisher, b. New York City. After working (1912-14) for the Doubleday, Page Publishing Company, he founded (1915) his own firm (Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.), which remained independent until 1960, when the company was sold by Knopf to Random House, Inc.; the Knopf imprint remains in existence. Knopf emphasized translations of great contemporary European literature, at that time neglected by American publishers, and specialized in producing books that were outstanding for fine printing, binding, and design. His colophon, the borzoi, became synonymous with beauty and taste in book design and high standards in the selection of books for publication.

AMERICAN LANGUAGE, The, short form AL. An encyclopedic study of English in the US by Henry Louis MENCKEN (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1919), which demonstrates the distinctness of AmE, chronicles the contributions of each of the nation's major ethnic groups to the language, and stresses American linguistic creativity and independence. Revised and enlarged editions of the AL appeared in 1921, 1923, and 1936, and two large supplements to the 4th edition in 1945 and 1948. The later editions used anecdotal contributions from readers as well as contemporary AmE scholarship. Mencken ignored 20c developments in linguistics. A 1963 abridgement and conflation of the 4th edition and its supplements (which remain in print as a three-volume set) was edited with additions by Raven I. McDavid Jr.