Esteemed editor, publisher, and author Margaret Frith, retired president and CEO of Putnam Publishing Children’s Group, died peacefully in her sleep at her home in Huntington, N.Y., on December 11, 2024. She was 88.
Frith was born June 11, 1936, in Bermuda and grew up there. She attended St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines boarding school in Asheville, N.C., before enrolling at Rosemont College in Rosemont, Pa., where she was an art major. Upon graduation from Rosemont in 1958, Frith studied at the summer Radcliffe Publishing Procedures Course and then embarked on her extensive publishing career in New York City, landing her first editorial position at Macmillan. She then left Manhattan for a year and upon her return landed at Scribner’s in 1960, starting in children’s publicity and marketing and shifting to editorial assistant. In 1964 Frith was appointed associate editor of children’s books at Coward-McCann, then an imprint of Putnam. “And that’s where I stayed,” she told PW in 2013.
Frith’s rise at the company culminated in her role as president and CEO of the Putnam Children’s Book Group, the umbrella for imprints Putnam, Philomel, and Grosset & Dunlap. Though she officially stepped back from her day-to-day administrative duties in 1995, Frith continued in the role of editor-at-large, shepherding books from several of the prominent authors and illustrators with whom she had established longtime working relationships. “I have the luxury of reading their books in my garden and taking my time to think about ideas,” she told PW in a 2001 interview about making this transition. “I do not go into the office unless I want to. I consider this my dream job.”
The roster of award-winning talent Firth edited included Jan Brett, Tomie dePaola, Paula Danziger, Jean Fritz, Eric Hill, and Peggy Rathmann. Among the books Frith authored are picture books Hooray for Ballet! and Frida Kahlo: The Artist Who Painted Herself; early reader story collection Mermaid Island, as well as several chapter book biographies in the Who Was? series.
An avid world traveler alongside her late partner David Urquhart, Frith also was a frequent attendee at the Frankfurt and London book fairs, and the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, where she acquired U.S. rights to numerous children’s works including Eric Hill’s Where’s Spot?
Jan Brett offered this remembrance of her longtime editor: “At Tomie dePaola’s enthusiastic advice, I asked Margaret to be my editor. Our first book was The Mitten, art directed by Nanette Stevenson. They were a dream team for me in those early years and for many books that followed. When Margaret was promoted to president of Young Readers at G.P. Putnam’s Sons, she never flagged in her relationship with me. If I had a book idea, I could call her anytime including a Sunday morning or in the evening hours. She was always there, excited about a new idea. Her loyalty and symbiosis with art directors Nanette, Cecilia Yung, and Marikka Tamura was one of her special talents as she loved the art side of creating picture books. Her extraordinary work ethic combined with devotion to children’s books was appreciated by her people, and she mentored many. Margaret was a gifted and talented pro, but what others might not know is she turned away from any star treatment as book after book won awards and topped bestseller lists, passing all the laurels to the authors and illustrators. For decades in her long career, the most loved picture books in children’s, teachers’, and librarians’ hands carried her invisible fingerprints.”
Nora Cohen, former managing editor of children’s books at Putnam, said, “Margaret was my mentor and second mother. She taught us about respecting the vision and voice of each author and the unique style and sensibility of every illustrator. Her personal grace, quiet strength, and calm confidence embraced those of us who were lucky enough to work for her, and she created a warm and close family for every member of the Putnam, Philomel, and Grosset team. She had an enormous impact on all of us and changed us irrevocably as she led the group with insight, knowledge, artistry, and purpose. I will never stop feeling gratitude for her boundless spirit and her leadership, determination, and pure joy in the craft of making gorgeous children’s books.”
David Briggs, former Putnam managing editor, said, “Margaret introduced me to the ways in which publishing was a business, and not just a bunch of bookish editors publishing stories they happened to like. I think she represented a generation of women leaders in the business who had to break through a lot of glass ceilings to achieve recognition for new kinds of books, and for children’s books in general. I appreciated the ways she supported her team. Although the vast majority of the time I knew her was in her editor-at-large role, I felt like hers were some of the shoulders upon which we stood, and I appreciated her insights.” –
Anne O’Connell, former Putnam senior editor, paid tribute with these words: “I will always remember Margaret’s excitement when she found Where’s Spot? at the Bologna Book Fair. I can still hear her reading it aloud to each of us. She was so anxious to win the bid for the American rights—and she did! At the same time this woman who loved to lift the flap and find Spot was a true professional in the corporate world. Her management skills matched her editorial skills. She was always cool under pressure and stood by her team with class and grace. Margaret was the whole package—a leader, a nice person, lovely to work for, caring and genuine.”
Marikka Tamura, senior art director at G.P. Putnam’s Sons and Nancy Paulsen Books, recalled, “I was just starting out in publishing and a bit in awe of Margaret’s composure and steely stature. It was only when I started working closely with her on the books of Tomie dePaola and Jan Brett that I discovered how much she enjoyed the hands-on, old-fashioned book-making part of the industry. She loved to take out her scissors and move elements around in our working book dummies. I relished the moments she would pop into my office unexpectedly with some cut and paste examples of book segments she had finessed as new ideas came to her. She taught me so much and I’m grateful that I sensed, even back then, that she was one of the great ones.”
And Susan Kochan, senior executive editor, Putnam Books for Young Readers, said, “The words that come to mind when I think about Margaret are elegance and excellence. There is no question she was one of the top editors and publishers of her time. She never failed to balance honor and respect for creative genius with practical business sense even when it seemed the two couldn’t align. And she always did it with thoughtfulness and class—one of our sales reps used to call her the Grande Dame. I only ever saw her flustered when her partner, David, would tease her. I learned so much from her and I’m forever grateful to have worked with her and been able to call her a friend.”
Per Putnam, donations in Frith’s memory can be made to the Northport-East Northport Public Library, 151 Laurel Avenue, Northport, N.Y. 11768.
