In Appreciation of Malcolm Margolin

We at McSweeney’s mourn the loss of one of publishing’s great and large-hearted figures, Malcolm Margolin. The founder of Heyday Books in Berkeley, he published hundreds of important titles that told the story of California. He was also a mentor to so many Bay Area publishers, and advised McSweeney’s at a key moment in our history. About ten years ago, when we were contemplating our existence — our very ability to survive — we reached out to Malcolm for advice, and he laid out the roadmap that helped us transition to our current nonprofit status. Without his guidance and encouragement, we shudder to think where we’d be today. Malcolm made the impossible seem practical, and he cheered on everyone around him. We will miss him dearly.