J. Christopher Herold

Jean Christopher Herold (11 May 1919 — 10 December 1964) was a Czech American university press editor and author from the 1940s to 1960s. While editing at Columbia University Press and Stanford University Press, Herold primarily wrote French history books on Napoleon Bonaparte while also covering Joan of Arc and Madame de Staël. Herold won the 1959 National Book Award for Nonfiction for his book, "Mistress to an Age: A Life of Madame de Staël", and received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1960.
Early life and education.
Herold was born on 11 May 1919 in Brno, Czechoslovakia. For his post-secondary education, Herold attended the University of Geneva during the late 1930s and studied literature. After moving to New York in 1939, Herold went to Columbia University for a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Arts in the early 1940s.
Career.
After completing his studies, Herold was a member of the Military Intelligence Corps from 1942 to 1945. Upon returning from the military, Herold started his editorial career at Columbia University Press from 1946 to 1956. In 1956, Herold left Columbia for Stanford University Press and was the press's editor-in-chief until 1960. Outside of editing, Herold wrote his first book, "The Swiss Without Halos", in 1948 while at Columbia. From the 1950s to 1960s, Herold spent the remainder of his literary career publishing books about French history. He primarily wrote about Napoleon Bonaparte while also including works on Joan of Arc and Madame de Staël.
Awards and honors.
Herold's book "Mistress to an Age: A Life of Madame de Staël" won the 1959 National Book Award for Nonfiction. The following year, he received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1960 studying French literature.
Death.
On 10 December 1964, Herold died at Columbia–Presbyterian Medical Center.