Touchstone Books was an American publishing imprint of Simon & Schuster, founded in 1970 as the company’s trade paperback division and discontinued in 2018.[1] The imprint published fiction and nonfiction, and its visual identity evolved through several distinct marks over its nearly five decades of operation.
Design and History
Touchstone was founded in 1970 as the trade paperback division of Simon & Schuster.[2] For much of its early history, the imprint operated under two names: Touchstone and Fireside. Fireside published paperbacks in diet, health, exercise, and self-help categories, while Touchstone focused on serious nonfiction and popular trade paper fiction.[2]
In September 2010, the imprint formally dropped the Fireside name and became known simply as Touchstone. Publisher Stacy Creamer explained that the move reflected a reality that had existed for some time: the imprint had one mission, one staff, and one publishing program. Both imprints had begun publishing new hardcovers and trade paperback originals in 2003, and the distinction between the two names had become confusing to agents and readers.[2]
Books on Touchstone’s fall 2010 list carried the new name and colophon, as did backlist titles that were repackaged.[2]
In October 2018, Simon & Schuster announced that Touchstone would be eliminated at the end of the year, with its titles for 2019 and beyond reassigned to the Atria and Gallery lists.[3] The imprint ceased publishing new titles as of December 2018.[4]
Meaning and Symbolism
Touchstone’s 2010 colophon depicted a figure flying through the air next to a star. Publisher Stacy Creamer described it as representing “a winged creature in motion, aiming for the stars.” She chose the design because it expressed “the vibe we have here of genuine energy and enthusiasm,” and noted that the parent company’s colophon, the S&S sower showing a figure walking on the ground, “seemed at odds with Touchstone’s mission.” Creamer felt the new colophon was “in the tradition of S&S, but spoke to the passion we feel for our books.”[2]
Earlier marks for the imprint included a design registered as a trademark in 1981, which incorporated arrows and geometric elements alongside the wordmark.[5] A later trademark registration from 2007 described a mark consisting of a stylized letter “T” above the word “TOUCHSTONE,” with geometric figures forming the letter.[6]
Typography and Design
A trademark filed in 2016 and registered in 2017 described a mark consisting of a stylized letter “T” above the word “TOUCHSTONE.”[7] The design was registered for use on fiction and nonfiction audio books and downloadable publications.[7]
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