Leslie Henriques, cofounder of independent publisher Ulysses Press, died on March 13 in Oakland, Calif. She was 76.
Henriques's career in publishing began in 1983 with the establishment of Ulysses Press, which she founded with her husband, Ray Riegert, in Berkeley, Calif. The press's inaugural title, Hidden Hawaii, established its reputation as an adventure-travel publishing house, though it eventually grew to encompass many genres. First run out of Henriques's house, Ulysses Press now has offices in Berkeley and Brooklyn and was featured by Publishers Weekly as a fast-growing independent publisher in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
"Leslie played such an instrumental part in Ulysses' success—this house simply couldn't have existed without her," said her son and Ulysses Press CEO, Keith Riegert. "Her kindness, creativity and dedication to her staff and every book she worked on set the bar for all of us."
In 2022, Henriques and Ray Riegert launched the Ulysses Press Scholarship for the NYU masters in publishing program.
Henriques, who was born in Pasadena, Calif., on September 11, 1947, was also the co-author of Hidden Coast of California and Hidden Southern California, among other titles. Leslie's final book, The Autism Workbook for Parents, co-authored with her brother Phil Abrams, is slated to be published in April 2025. In addition, she was a photographer whose work appeared in the Los Angeles Times, New Orleans Times-Picayune, and San Francisco Chronicle.
Leslie is survived by Ray Riegert; children, Keith (Jen Heerwig) Riegert and Alice (Jadson Souza) Riegert; grandchildren, Sebby, Milo, and Issa; and siblings, Darryl, Phil, Kenny, and Jamie. A memorial service will be held at 3 pm on April 13 at Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland.
