Joseph-Beth in Chapter 11
Joseph-Beth Booksellers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week and will close four of its eight stores. The company owes $5.76 million to its top 30 creditors, but said if the debtor-in-possession financing is approved, it will have sufficient liquidity to move forward.

Langenscheidt Closes U.S. Division
The German-based Langenscheidt Publishing Group is closing Langenscheidt Publishers Inc., its U.S. division. With the closing of the U.S. arm, some of the company's best-known brands will continue to be distributed by different distributors.

Rosenthal Gets Penguin Imprint
David Rosenthal, who stepped down as publisher and executive v-p of Simon & Schuster's flagship imprint this spring, has been named president and publisher of a new, as yet unnamed, general imprint at Penguin Group. Rosenthal will start in January and hopes to have his first titles released next fall, eventually doing 24–36 titles annually in both fiction and nonfiction.

Benton Named Scholastic Trade Publisher
Lori Benton, former v-p and publisher for Harcourt Children's Books, has been named v-p and publisher for the Scholastic Trade Publishing division. She succeeds Suzanne Murphy, and will report to Ellie Berger, head of Scholastic Trade Publishing.