SMP Divests Whitman Line
by Staff -- Publishers Weekly, 2/3/2003
St. Martin's Press has sold its Whitman line of coin guides and reference works to H.E. Harris, an Atlanta-based company that markets supplies for coin collectors. Harris will fold Whitman into its existing operations, said Mary Counts, president of H.E. Harris. The company recently released its first book, 100 Greatest U.S. Coins, and Counts said the Whitman line will accelerate the company's publishing efforts.
More than 100 titles were involved in the purchase, and Harris will likely bring back some titles that have gone out of print. Harris already has a distribution network that sells its products to hobby shops, mass merchandisers and the major bookstore chains. Counts said she hopes to add more bookstore accounts to the network and to introduce the line to its customers who do not carry the guides.
