Jack Macrae

Editor and publisher John (Jack) Macrae III died early on the morning of February 1st, 2023, after a long illness. He was born November 21st 1931 at Doctors Hospital in New York City. Mr. Macrae, an alumnus of the Kent School and Harvard College class of 1954, was drafted into the army and spent two years in Germany. In his long and impactful career Macrae was an editor at Harper & Row, where he developed his publishing philosophy, E. P. Dutton, where he was the fourth member of his family to serve as president, and Henry Holt, where he served as editor in chief and had his own imprint. Macrae edited and published books on nature, history, civil rights, art, poetry and fiction by writers including Jorge Luis Borges, David Levering Lewis, Ed Abbey, Calvin Tomkins, Carl Safina, Gavin Maxwell, and Hilary Mantel. In 2003 he opened the independent bookstore 192 Books with his wife, Paula Cooper. Mr. Macrae was an athletic and intrepid adventurer who took a kayak with him on most travels. His loss is mourned by his wife, Paula, his four children, John, Liza, Phebe, and Annabel, and stepchildren Lucas and Nick.