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Richard Cohen’s controversial The History Makers (W&N) will be renamed following a plea from a not-for-profit group of the same name, it has been revealed.
The announcement of the new title, Making History, comes weeks after the book's release was pushed back by nine months only days before publication by Orion. It will be published by Simon & Schuster in the US.
It was dropped by its original American publisher Penguin Random House US back in May, according to the Observer, despite extensive rewrites seeking changes on Black history and historians. Cohen was told by his publisher to produce more content after failing to sufficiently acknowledge the roles of Black people and African Americans in the previous version of the book, which covers 2,500 years of history.
A spokesperson for Simon & Schuster US confirmed it will publish Making History: The Storytellers Who Shaped the Past in March 2022. An Orion spokesperson confirmed the same name change for UK publication.
The 784-page book is described by the publishers as "an epic exploration of who writes about the past and how the biases of certain storytellers—whether Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare or Simon Schama—continue to influence our ideas about history and about who we are today".
Chicago-based Julieanna L Richardson, founder and president of The HistoryMakers, told The Bookseller how she had been frustrated by the book’s original title and contacted Cohen. Her organisation is a not-for-profit research and educational institution committed to preserving and making accessible the stories of African Americans.
“I learned of The History Makers publication by reading about it in the Guardian article,” Richardson said. “The only information that I had at the time as well as now was what was reported in the article. It said that the book that carried our federally trademarked name covered 2,500 years of history, but had originally omitted the history of African diasporic contributions."
Richardson, also a lawyer, has not seen the content of the book but has concerns about its description as well as the title. “I have not had the opportunity or the ability to read the book and do not want to cause harm," she said. "Notably the expertise of the historians referenced does not begin to cover the 2,500 year period. Not only did we receive phone calls and messages from our supporters who also saw the article and were confused, but we did not want a book to carry our name when the controversy centered around the omission of Black history. This, for us, The HistoryMakers, was a totally untenable situation."
"We sent a cease and desist letter to all involved and were told that The HistoryMakers was not the same as The History Makers. Others had made that claim against us and lost and I provided documentation of that.” Orion confirmed to The Bookseller receipt of these letters but denied any infringement.
Richardson added: “In my conversation with Richard Cohen and his literary agent and wife, Kathy Robbins, which was cordial, I begged them to just settle everything by not using our name. We have spent the past 21 years working nonstop to both mainstream and advocate for the inclusion of Black history and Black historical perspectives. They told me that the publication would be delayed and the name changed."
However she is concerned about the new title. "I wrote asking them to not just invert the name, but to find another name altogether. Doing so will leave the controversy behind us and allow the publication to shine on its own—something every author wants.”
Richardson added: “I also hope that when I read the book that I will agree that his coverage of Black historical perspectives is enough. I cannot say that I will, but I also do not want to rain on an author’s parade. Richard Cohen deserves for his publication to shine in its own light."
Now based in New York, Cohen is the former publishing director of Hutchinson and Hodder & Stoughton in the UK. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and for two years was programme director of the Cheltenham Festival of Literature.
The Bookseller contacted Cohen for comment.