# Succession drama at Scholastic Books **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 3, 2021, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/succession-drama-at-scholastic-books/947964 "2021-08-03T12:50:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2021, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/succession-drama-at-scholastic-books/947964/1 "2021-08-03T12:50:16Z")
Succession Drama at Scholastic: CEO’s Sudden Death, an Office Romance and a Surprise Will [Succession Drama Grips Scholastic: CEO’s Sudden Death, an Office Romance and a Surprise Will - WSJ](https://www.wsj.com/articles/succession-drama-grips-scholastic-ceos-sudden-death-an-office-romance-and-a-surprise-will-11627850787) This is probably paywalled, but i think everyone can get a couple of free articles rack month, and this is an interesting read. I learned that Scholastic Books was privately owned, by a family. And mostly by one guy. That it owned a lot of valuable properties like Harry Potter (presumedly the US rights), and favorites like Clifford the Big Red Dog, and the Magic School Bus. That it’s valued at ~$1.2B. That the owner dropped dead recently and unexpectedly, and his will named coworker, not anyone on his family. (It directs her to give some of his personal items to his sons as she thinks he would have wanted to.) They had an affair. But the language of the will suggests it’s their business partnership that led him to give her control of the company. He was also, apparently, on good terms with his ex-wife, but maybe that reconciliation came after the last time he updated his will. His sons say that from the will you’d think they were estranged, but they actually had been spending time with their dad a few days every week. Anyway, i wanted to share. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2021, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/succession-drama-at-scholastic-books/947964/2 "2021-08-03T17:47:37Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I learned that Scholastic Books was privately owned, by a family. And mostly by one guy. That it owned a lot of valuable properties like Harry Potter (presumedly the US rights), and favorites like Clifford the Big Red Dog, and the Magic School Bus. That it’s valued at ~$1.2B. Wow, who knew. Honestly I never actually thought about who owned it, and what properties they owned the rights to. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/succession-drama-at-scholastic-books/947964/3 "2021-08-05T09:49:46Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Honestly I never actually thought about who owned it It never occurred to me that it was an international company. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/succession-drama-at-scholastic-books/947964/4 "2021-08-05T17:27:37Z")
From reading the article, his two adult sons were surprised at their father’s actions, and hope that an “amicable” settling of the estate (between the lines: more favorable to them) can be achieved. Tough tookies my boys. It appears that Richard inherited the business from his father Maurice, but Richard worked in the business, learned it and worked his way up. Neither of his sons appeared to have an interest in the business…so they got left out. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/succession-drama-at-scholastic-books/947964/5 "2021-08-05T23:22:01Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > but i think everyone can get a couple of free articles rack month Okay, I’m curious is it was “per” or “every” that was somehow autocorrected into “rack”. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/succession-drama-at-scholastic-books/947964/6 "2021-08-05T23:57:13Z")
I assume “each.” ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2021, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/succession-drama-at-scholastic-books/947964/7 "2021-08-06T01:10:13Z")
I no longer remember, but “each” has letters close to “rack”, so that looks good. I swype to type on my phone. So e is close to r, a and c are right, and h isn’t very far from k. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2021, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/succession-drama-at-scholastic-books/947964/8 "2021-08-06T20:48:50Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > That it owned a lot of valuable properties like Harry Potter (presumedly the US rights), and favorites like Clifford the Big Red Dog, and the Magic School Bus. But not Hamlet? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2021, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/succession-drama-at-scholastic-books/947964/9 "2021-08-06T21:12:11Z")
I remember teachers handing out Scholastic Book Club catalogs during English class. [https://www.brandedinthe80s.com/6388/vintage-book-club-flyers-part-3-scholastics-arrow-tab-and-honeybee-clubs](https://www.brandedinthe80s.com/6388/vintage-book-club-flyers-part-3-scholastics-arrow-tab-and-honeybee-clubs)