{{Short description|American science fiction and fantasy publisher}} {{Infobox publisher | image = 150px|First logo | parent = Astra Publishing | status = | founded = {{start date and age|1971}} | founder = Donald A. Wollheim<br>Elsie B. Wollheim | successor = | country = United States | headquarters = New York City, United States | distribution = Penguin Random House Publisher Services | keypeople = Elizabeth R. Wollheim<br />Sheila E. Gilbert | publications = Books | owner = | genre = Science fiction, fantasy, horror | imprints = | revenue = | numemployees = | nasdaq = | url = {{URL|dawbooks.com}} }} thumb|Paperback books published by DAW
'''DAW Books''' is an American science fiction and fantasy publisher, founded by Donald A. Wollheim, with his wife, Elsie B. Wollheim,<ref name=penguin-daw>{{Cite web |url=https://www.penguin.com/publishers/daw/ |title=DAW - Penguin Books USA |access-date=2020-11-03 |archive-date=2022-01-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129065012/https://www.penguin.com/publishers/daw/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> following his departure from Ace Books in 1971. The company claims to be "the first publishing company ever devoted exclusively to science fiction and fantasy."<ref name=penguin-daw/> The first DAW Book published was the 1972 short story collection ''Spell of the Witch World'' by Andre Norton.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Publication: Spell of the Witch World |url=http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?205225 |publisher=The Internet Speculative Fiction Database |access-date=3 July 2020}}</ref>
==Overview== In its early years under the leadership of Wollheim and his wife Elsie, DAW gained a reputation of publishing popular, though not always critically acclaimed, works of science fiction and fantasy. Nevertheless, in the 1970s the company published numerous books, most of these paperback originals, by award-winning authors such as Marion Zimmer Bradley, Fritz Leiber, Jerry Pournelle, and Roger Zelazny. In 1982, C. J. Cherryh's ''Downbelow Station'' became the first DAW book to win the Hugo Award for best novel.<ref name="Hugo82">{{cite web |url=http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1982-hugo-awards/ |title=1982 Hugo Awards |date=26 July 2007 |publisher=World Science Fiction Society |access-date=2010-04-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110507164650/http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1982-hugo-awards/ |archive-date=2011-05-07 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Until June 1984, all DAW books were characterized by yellow spines, and a prominent yellow cover box containing the company's logo as well as a chronological publication number. When the design was changed, the chronological number was retained, but moved to the copyright page and renamed the DAW Collectors' Book Number.
DAW has a distribution relationship with Penguin Group and was headquartered in Penguin USA's offices in New York City. DAW is editorially independent and, until 2022, was closely held by its current publishers, Betsy Wollheim (Donald's daughter) and Sheila E. Gilbert.<ref>{{cite web |last=Lassen |first=Jeremy |title=A View From Corona #12 |url=http://www.nightshadebooks.com/2003/07/?cat=5 |publisher=Night Shade Books |access-date=11 October 2010 |date=July 26, 2003 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325002753/http://www.nightshadebooks.com/2003/07/?cat=5 |archive-date=25 March 2012 }}</ref><ref name=wollheim200606>{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.locusmag.com/2006/Issues/06Wollheim.html|title=Locus Online: Betsy Wollheim interview excerpts|magazine=Locus |date=June 2006 | access-date=2017-12-06}}</ref><ref name="astra acquisition">{{Cite web |title=Astra Publishing House Acquires DAW Books |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/89841-astra-publishing-house-acquires-daw-books.html |access-date=August 1, 2022 |website=Publishers Weekly}}</ref>
In July 2022, DAW was acquired by Astra Publishing House.<ref name="astra acquisition"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=4274#m56942|title=Astra Publishing House Acquires DAW Books|work=Shelf Awareness|access-date=2025-11-06|language=en}}</ref>
==Partial list of authors== {{div col|colwidth=15em}} *Ben Aaronovitch *Saladin Ahmed *Camille Bacon-Smith *Bradley Beaulieu *Marion Zimmer Bradley *Kristen Britain *John Brunner *Kenneth Bulmer *Lin Carter *A. Bertram Chandler *C. J. Cherryh *Julie Czerneda *Philip K. Dick *Emily Drake *Suzette Haden Elgin *Kate Elliott *Jane Fancher *M. A. Foster *C. S. Friedman *Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear *David Gerrold *ElizaBeth Gilligan *Tracy Hickman *Jim C. Hines *Tanya Huff *Katharine Kerr *Gini Koch *Mercedes Lackey *Laura Lam *Tanith Lee *Fritz Leiber *Stephen Leigh *Edward Llewellyn *Karen Lord *Violette Malan *John Marco *Marshall Ryan Maresca *Seanan McGuire *R. M. Meluch *Lisanne Norman *Nnedi Okorafor *Fiona Patton *Melanie Rawn *Mickey Zucker Reichert *Laura Resnick *Mike Resnick *Jennifer Roberson *Deborah J. Ross *Patrick Rothfuss *Diana Rowland *Christopher Ruocchio *Sean Russell *Michelle Sagara (a.k.a. Michelle West) *Sherwood Smith *John Steakley *S. Andrew Swann *Margaret Weis *Tad Williams *Roger Zelazny
{{div col end}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://astrapublishinghouse.com/imprints/daw-books/ Official website] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20200718040421/https://www.sfsite.com/~silverag/daw1-100.html Fan listing of DAW Books (first page)] *[http://www.isfdb.org/wiki/index.php/Publisher:DAW Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB) listing of DAW Books]
{{Authority control}} Category:American speculative fiction publishers Category:Book publishing companies based in New York (state) Category:Fantasy book publishers Category:Science fiction publishers Category:Penguin Books Category:Publishing companies established in 1971 Category:American companies established in 1971 Category:1971 establishments in New York City Category:2022 mergers and acquisitions