NEWS

Nineties Bantam Senior Editor Tom Dupree, 72, Passes

Tom Dupree

We have learned through Facebook that Tom Dupree, a Bantam Senior Editor during much of the nineties, died on February 7 at his New York City home, at 72, of cardio-respiratory arrest.

A son of the South, who was born in Virginia, moving as a pre-teen with his family to Jackson, Mississippi, Dupree retained some of native Southern drawl when he came to New York in his twenties. He left behind his Jackson career as an advertising copywriter to pursue a place in book publishing.

Determined, and quick creatively, he got a Bantam job in 1989 writing cover copy, eventually working his way into the Editorial department, rising to Senior Editor. After leaving in 1997, he became an Executive Editor with HarperCollins. For Bantam, Dupree edited general nonfiction and memoirs. He was a Star Wars and science fiction editor, and had a hand in manuscripts from Louis L’Amour and Tom Robbins.

Gracious and soft-spoken, he loved his job, and his enthusiasm was contagious.

A pop culture enthusiast who was an avid audience member for Manhattan theater and film arts groups, he also wrote liner notes for Southern rock albums and respected music reviews for Rolling Stone, Creem, and Playboy.

Mr. Dupree is survived by family members and the love of his life, Linda, his wife of three decades.

Tom Dupree
November 27, 1949 – February 7, 2022