Joan Kahn facts for kids

Joan Kahn (born April 13, 1914 – died October 12, 1994) was an American author and editor from New York City. She was known as one of the best editors of mystery and suspense books during her time. People called her the "queen of suspense" because she helped many famous mystery writers get their start. She worked for a long time at Harper & Brothers (later Harper & Row) from 1946 to 1980. There, she created and managed the popular "Harper Novel of Suspense" series. Her special "Joan Kahn imprint" on books meant they were top-quality mystery reads. Some of the well-known authors she signed included Patricia Highsmith, Dick Francis, and Tony Hillerman.

Early Life and Books

Joan Kahn grew up in New York City. Her father, Eli Jacques Kahn, was a famous architect. She also had a brother, E.J. Kahn, who became a writer.

Joan went to several schools, including the Horace Mann School, the Yale School of Art, Barnard College, and the Art Students League of New York. Before she became an editor, she wrote her own books. She wrote one children's book called Ladies and Gentlemen' said the Ringmaster in 1938. She also wrote two novels for adults: To Meet Miss Long (1943) and Open House (1946).

A Career in Editing

How Joan Kahn Became an Editor

Joan Kahn didn't plan to become an editor right away. Her first job at Harper was reading manuscripts, which are like early versions of books. Later, she became an editor at Harper's Magazine. Finally, Harper & Brothers asked her to help improve their mystery book department.

At first, Joan thought this job was only temporary. She was very interested in art, like painting and sculpting. She also designed sets and costumes for plays. She even had to read about 200 books that had been rejected before!

Her First Big Success

Everything changed when she accepted a book called The Horizontal Man by Helen Eustis. This book won a special award, the Edgar Award, for the best first novel of 1947. After that, Joan realized that editing was her true calling. She became very dedicated to finding and publishing great mystery stories.

Joan's Editing Style

As an editor, Joan Kahn was very dedicated to her authors. But she was also very demanding! She once said she was "a nasty editor." She would only buy a book if it was completely ready to be printed. This meant she worked long hours with authors to make their books perfect. Even if she had worked with an author many times before, there was no guarantee she would publish their next book. It had to be good enough.

Discovering New Talent

In the 1970s, Joan Kahn signed two important authors: Tony Hillerman and Joseph Hansen. These authors introduced new kinds of heroes to American mystery novels. Tony Hillerman created Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn of the Navajo Nation Police, a detective from the Navajo Nation. Joseph Hansen created Dave Brandstetter, an insurance investigator who was openly gay. These characters were groundbreaking at the time.

Moving to New Publishers

Joan Kahn left Harper & Row in 1980. After that, she worked briefly at Ticknor & Fields and then E.P. Dutton. In 1983, she joined St. Martin's Press, where she stayed until she retired six years later. Many of the authors she had discovered at Harper followed her to her new publishers.

Awards and Recognition

Towards the end of her career, Joan Kahn received special awards for her amazing work.

• In 1985, she received the Ellery Queen Award from the Mystery Writers of America. This award honors people who have made outstanding contributions to the mystery publishing world.
• In 1989, when she retired, she received another special Edgar Award for her distinguished career.
• That same year, she also received an Anthony Award from Bouchercon for her important contributions to the mystery genre.

Personal Life

Joan Kahn never married and did not have any children. She passed away on October 12, 1994, in Manhattan, after a short illness. She was survived by her younger sister, Olivia Kahn, who was an artist. Olivia had also worked with Joan at Harper, helping her read manuscripts. After Joan's death, Olivia donated many of Joan's papers to Bowling Green State University and to Joan's alma mater, Yale.