James H. Clark, director of the University of California Press for 25 years (1977-2002), died on January 14 after a long battle with cancer. He was 81.

Jim Clark was born in Chicago on August 30, 1931, the son of James and Millie Clark.  He served in the Air Force during the Korean War, went to college on the G.I. Bill, and graduated from UC Berkeley.

Clark had a lengthy and distinguished career in publishing, starting in 1960 when he began his life’s work as a sales representative for Prentice Hall in Northern California. Five years later, he was promoted to editor in the company’s New Jersey office. He acquired books in anthropology, sociology, drama, music, and art prior to his subsequent appointment in 1969 as editorial director of the College Division at Harper and Row. One year later, he was named the Division’s vice president and publisher. … Continue reading »