‘Nothing Random’: The Man Behind the Great Books

Random House’s high-profile chief Bennett Cerf is celebrated in Gayle Feldman’s extensive biography.

“Nothing Random” by Gayle Feldman tells the story of the man who built a great publishing house. Random House/Michael Lionstar

Few people have had a more profound impact on the book publishing industry than Bennett Cerf. As the co-founder and longtime president of Random House, he was responsible for presenting many of the seminal works that shaped 20th-century literature.

Unlike other book publishers, Cerf enjoyed public recognition as a media personality, most notably as a panelist on the prime-time television game show “What’s My Line?”