Alan Mirken, who arranged the sale of the Crown Publishing Group to Random House in 1988 when he served as president of the company, died June 12 from heart problems. He was 84. Following the sale of Crown, Mirken became vice chairman of Random before leaving in 1990 to join Abbeville Press. After leaving Abbeville, Mirken served as an industry consultant and served on a number of boards.
Before its sale to Random, Crown was one of the largest independent publishers in the country and a pioneer in the sale of used, remainder and value books that it sold through its Outlet Book division. In addition to the Crown flagship imprint, Crown Publishing also included the Clarkson Potter and Harmony Books imprints.
A service for Mirken at Riverside Memorial Chapel in New York is set for this Sunday, June 15 at 10:00.
