He became a tennis star at Grinnell College in Iowa and later was a good enough player to compete against Don Budge, among others. But this is not a well-made novel, nor a salable one nor even, I think, a good one.. He didnt bother to attend a special screening, citing mixed early reviews, and didnt show up for a private party for the film. The Army discontinued the magazine in 1948, but Lord co-owned it as a private publication for a year afterwards. Many of Mr. Lords biggest books Peter Gents North Dallas Forty, Bill Nacks Secretariat, Pete Axthelms The City Game grew out of that sports world. One editor wrote to Lord that Kerouac does have enormous talent of a very special kind. He edited his high school newspaper and was a sports stringer around the same time for the Des Moines Register. He found a publisher for Nicholas Pileggis short story Wiseguy and helped arrange a deal for his famous adaptation of Goodfellas.. He was born in Sterling, Illinois, on April 19, 1936, to Read More, Mark Hamstra Born: September 9, 1958 in Morrison Died: January 16, 2023 in Sterling, IL MARK HAMSTRA, 64, of Sterling, IL, died Monday, January 16, 2023 at Allure of Sterling. But he continued to work, and into his 90s remained the highest-earning agent in the office. The baby in the group was the political analyst Jeff Greenfield. Interment will be at the Bountiful City . Second, I am interested in new and good ideas. He negotiated terms between McGinniss and accused killer Jeffrey MacDonald, later convicted, for the true crime classic Fatal Vision. He found a publisher for Nicholas Pileggis mob story Wiseguy and helped arrange the deal for its celebrated film adaptation, Goodfellas., In the early 1960s, Viking had asked Lord to get a blurb from Kerouac for One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Keseys first and most famous novel. Returning to the US, he worked as an editor for True and Cosmopolitan magazine, from which he was fired, before founding the Sterling Lord Literary Agency. Kerouac already had completed a conventional novel, The Town and the City, but had no agent and surely needed one for his next book: On the Road was typed, as Lord was among the first to know, on a 120-foot scroll of architectural tracing paper., Lord believed that Kerouac had a fresh, distinctive voice that should be heard. But the industry was not in the mood. He was the last link to what we can now see not so much as a Golden Age, but as a brief, shining moment when long-form journalism mattered in a way it no longer does and may never again.. Mr. Lord had met many agents during his magazine years and believed they failed to understand that the American public was becoming more urban and sophisticated. Lord even recruited a doctor who unsuccessfully attempted to get Kerouac to clean up, but the businessman eventually backed away since he was his literary agent, not his life agent., Lord attended Kerouacs funeral, sharing a limousine ride with his client Jimmy Breslin and standing by the grave alongside Allen Ginsberg, the sunlight filtering through the trees, the leaves brown after losing their fall colors.. Beloved husband of JoAnne and devoted and loving father of Tamara (Raymond). Mr. Lords partner at the time, Stanley L. Colbert, later claimed that things went down very differently. Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. Mr. Lord represented Ken Keseys novel One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest.. Lord instead found a deal for Quotations from Chairman LBJ, a bestselling parody. When the magazine closed in 1949, he moved to New York. But into his 90s he remained the highest-earning agent in the office. Mr. Lord was a fledgling Manhattan literary agent in 1952 when, by his account, Kerouac walked timidly into his office, a basement studio on East 36th Street, just off Park Avenue. Lord instead found a deal for Quotations from Chairman LBJ, a bestselling parody. Terry was born on December 18, 1954 in Princeton, the son of Howard and Patricia Read More, William 'Bill' Janssen Born: April 19, 1936 Died: January 16, 2023 William "Bill" Janssen died on Monday, January 16, 2023, at his home in Haymarket, Virginia, after being diagnosed with lung cancer a few months earlier. Hes OK., Mr. Lords clients appreciated his gentility, which appeared in ever-sharper relief as the book business became increasingly commercial and cutthroat. Mr. Lord persuaded HarperCollins to pay $3.2 million to lure the Berenstain Bears childrens books from Random House. After graduating with a degree in English from Grinnell College in Iowa, Mr. Lord was drafted into the Army and shipped to Europe near the end of World War II. Mr. Lord had represented him for a mere 44 years. Over the next few years he either worked on or edited several magazines, including True and Cosmopolitan. Johnsons The Vantage Point, ultimately published in 1971, was dismissed by critics as bland and uninformative. Back in the U.S., he served as an editor at True and Cosmopolitan, from which he was fired, before founding the Sterling Lord Literary Agency. He had just turned 102. Sterling Lord was born in Burlington, Iowa, on Sept. 3, 1920. Patricia was born on June 14, 1944 in Colorado Springs Read More, June Alber Born: January 11, 1936 Died: January 10, 2023 in Sterling, IL June Aline Alber passed away January 10, 2023 the day before her 87th birthday at Rock River Hospice and Home in Sterling, IL after a brief illness. Click or call (800) 729-8809. He was Fiorentina captain Astori found dead aged 31 before match. NEW YORK . But his success began with an unknown named Jack Kerouac and his hard-to-sell novel On the Road.. Some of the great sports books of the 20th century, from North Dallas Forty to Secretariat, were written by his clients. Charlotte was born March 12, 1945 in Chilhowie VA the daughter of Marvin Read More, Robert Lee Marsh Born: April 6, 1946 in Sterling, Illinois Died: January 10, 2023 in Sterling, Illinois Robert (Bob) Lee Marsh, 76, of Sterling, Illinois, peacefully passed away on January 10, 2023, at Heritage Woods of Sterling. I decided to go home, he told the AP in 2013. He negotiated terms between McGinniss and accused killer Jeffrey MacDonald, later convicted, for the true crime classic Fatal Vision. He found a publisher for Nicholas Pileggis mob story Wiseguy and helped arrange the deal for its celebrated film adaptation, Goodfellas., In the early 1960s, Viking had asked Lord to get a blurb from Kerouac for One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Keseys first and most famous novel. Lord would also speak proudly of a project he turned down: a memoir of Lyndon Johnson. Beulah was born on May 3rd, 1934 in Sterling Illinois, Read More, Loren W. Ekquist Born: September 16, 1933 in Drakesville, IA Died: January 26, 2023 in Sterling, IL Loren W. Ekquist, 89 of Sterling, died Thursday, January 26, 2023 at Rock River Hospice and Home in Sterling. Frankly, I didn't want to deal with the situation at home, he told the Des Moines Register in 2015. [3] He died in Ocala, Florida, on September 3, 2022, his 102nd birthday. His death was confirmed by his daughter, Rebecca Lord, his only immediate survivor. Mary Altaffer/AP Photo. Barbara was born August 6, 1945 in Sterling the daughter Read More, Anne Atilano Born: July 26, 1927 in Gary, IN Died: February 20, 2023 in Sterling, IL Anne Atilano, age 95, of Sterling, died Monday, February 20, 2023 at Rock River Hospice and Home in Sterling. About 10 years ago Sterling Lord invited four long-term clients of his for lunch at the Regency Hotel in New York. He was alert to new trends and an early ambassador for a revolutionary cultural movement: the Beats. Thanks to his friendship with Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, Lord helped launch Stan and Jan Berenstain's multimillion-selling books about an anthropomorphic bear family. NEW YORK (AP) Sterling Lord, the uniquely enduring literary agent who worked for years to find a publisher for Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" and over the following decades arranged deals for everyone from true crime writer Joe McGinniss to the creators of the Berenstain Bears, has died. But Kerouac was a shy and delicate man, Lord wrote. Mr. Lord oversaw Kerouacs numerous posthumous releases even as he battled the authors family for control of the estate. NEW YORK Lucie Brock-Broido, a prize-winning poet and educator, has died at age 61. [3] His father, also named Sterling, was an executive at the Leopold Desk Company in Burlington who also worked as a bookbinder. After years of failed attempts, a filmed version of On the Road was released in 2012. The agent eventually sold excerpts to The Paris Review and the periodical New World Writing. Lord would also speak proudly of a project he declined: Lyndon Johnsons memoir. Lorde even hired a doctor who unsuccessfully tried to get Kerouac to come clean, but the businessman eventually refused because he was his literary, not life agent., Lord attended Kerouacs funeral, riding with him in a limousine his client Jimmy Breslin and standing by the grave next to Allen Ginsberg, sunlight filtering through the trees, the leaves turning brown after losing their autumn color.. Lord had quick success by selling film rights to two popular sports books, Rocky Grazianos Somebody Up There Likes Me and Jimmy Piersalls Fear Strikes Out. But Lord's On the Road quest would prove bumpier. One editor wrote to Mr. Lord: Kerouac does have enormous talent of a very special kind. Sterling Lord was the agent who represented Jimmy Breslin, Art Buchwald, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Gordon Parks, and, most notably, Jack Kerouac. After serving in the Army Air Force during World War II, Lord co-owned the Germany-based magazine Weekend, which soon folded. Sterling Lord, who started his own agency in 1952 and later merged with rival Literistic to form Sterling Lord Literistic Inc., was a failed magazine publisher who became, almost surely, the . He also prided himself on his sympathy for writers who lived far more wildly than he did. "Tony" Avila, 35 of Sterling died Sunday January 15, 2023. Kerouac declined, but Mr. Lord was so impressed by the book that he ended up representing Kesey for his next work, Sometimes a Great Notion.. In his 2013 memoir Lord of Publishing, Lord remembered first meeting Kerouac in 1952. He had just turned 102. Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc. and our many writers mourn the untimely passing of our comrade and agent George Nicholson. Sterling . He married Anastazia Hudson Read More, Patricia L. Gilkey Born: September 9, 1951 in Sterling, IL Died: February 19, 2023 in Sterling, IL STERLING - Patricia L. Gilkey, 71 of Sterling died Sunday February 19, 2023 at CGH Medical Center suddenly. Mr. Lord found the book fresh and distinctive. The uniquely enduring literary agent who worked for years to find a publisher for Jack Kerouacs On the Road and over the following decades arranged deals for everyone from true crime writer Joe McGinniss to the creators of the Berenstain Bears, has died. In 1957, the book was released, The New York Times raved and On the Road soon entered the American canon. Gordon was born January 26, 1940, the son of Eugene and Mary Ellen Mool of El Paso, Illinois. She was born on September 9, 1951 in Sterling the daughter of Hurley Ivan Read More, Carolyn June Hilliard Scharfenberg Born: November 26, 1947 Died: February 20, 2023 STERLING, IL " Carolyn June Hilliard Scharfenberg, age 75, passed away in her home in Sterling, IL on February 20, 2023 with her family by her side. Alice was born April 15, 1939 in Dixon, the daughter of Clifford "Bill" and Harriet (Smith) Read More, Marcia Fields Born: February 23, 1946 in Sterling, IL Died: January 30, 2023 in Sterling, IL Marcia L Fields, age 76, passed away peacefully, after a courageous battle with cancer, on January 30th, 2023. Loren was born on September 16, 1933 in Drakesville, Iowa, the son Read More, Arvilla M. Siddens Born: November 1, 1926 in Sterling, IL Died: January 21, 2023 in Sterling, IL Arvilla M. Siddens, 96, of Sterling (formerly of Polo) passed away Saturday, January 21, 2023 with family by her side. Mr. Lord had represented one of them, the sportswriter Frank Deford, for 53 years, and another, the investigative reporter and sometime novelist David Wise, for more than 60. With rare persistence, he endured the initial unwillingness of publishers to take on Kerouacs unorthodox narrative and was later the longtime agent for poet and playwright Amiri Baraka, novelist Ken Kesey and poet and City Lights bookstore owner Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Sterling Lord, who started his own agency in 1952 and later merged with rival Literistic to form Sterling Lord Literistic Inc., was a failed magazine publisher who became, almost surely, the . Sterling Lord, the uniquely enduring literary agent who worked for years to find a publisher for Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" and arranged deals for everyone from true crime writer Joe. But he was attentive to new trends and was the first ambassador of a revolutionary cultural movement: the Beats. Lord turned them down, much to their surprise and anger. He negotiated terms between McGinniss and accused killer Jeffrey MacDonald, later convicted, for the true crime classic Fatal Vision. He found a publisher for Nicholas Pileggis mob story Wiseguy and helped arrange the deal for its celebrated film adaptation, Goodfellas., In the early 1960s, Viking had asked Lord to get a blurb from Kerouac for One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Keseys first and most famous novel. NEW YORK (AP) Sterling Lord, the uniquely enduring literary agent who worked for years to find a publisher for Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" and over the following decades arranged deals for. Lord oversaw Kerouac's numerous posthumous releases even as he battled the authors family for control of the estate. Born to missionary parents in the West Indies, she loved the diversity of the world, believed in Read More, Alice B. He didnt bother to attend a special screening, citing mixed early reviews, and didnt show up for a private party for the film. Johnsons The Vantage Point, ultimately published in 1971, was dismissed by critics as bland and uninformative. Mr. Giroux had not quite rejected On the Road, but he wouldnt handle it in the form in which Kerouac had famously written it and tendered it to him: on a 120-foot scroll of architectural tracing paper. And third, Ive been able to meet some extraordinarily interesting people.. Thanks to friendship with Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, Lord helped launch Stan and Ian Berenstains multimillion-dollar books about a family of anthropomorphic bears. Steven was born January 3, 1956 in Dixon, IL, the son of Alvin and Mary (Davis) Moeller. Read More, Duane Scholl Born: December 16, 1950 in Dixon, Illinois Died: January 14, 2023 in Polo, Illinois Duane Scholl, 72, of Polo died Saturday January 14, 2023 at his farm surrounded by family. Mr. Lord had quick success by selling film rights to two popular sports books, Rocky Grazianos Somebody Up There Likes Me (ghostwritten by Rowland Barber) and Jimmy Piersalls Fear Strikes Out (ghostwritten by Al Hirshberg). Ruth was born on June 24, 1926 in Escanaba, MI, the daughter of Joseph and Edna (Martel) Read More, Michael Hoyle Born: May 9, 1950 in Dixon, IL Died: January 18, 2023 in Rockford, IL STERLING Michael Hoyle, age 72, died Wednesday, January 18, 2023 at Javon Bae Hospital in Rockford. Sterling Lord, Premier Literary Agent, Is Dead at 102 The list of well-known writers he represented is long. I decided to go home, he told the AP in 2013. Sterling Lords roster of clients produced works about sports, politics, murder and the travails of illustrated animals. Lord would also speak proudly of a project he declined: Lyndon Johnsons memoir. [1][3][4], After graduation, Lord joined the U.S. Army during World War II, and was an editor for a weekly magazine supplement of Stars and Stripes. He had just turned 102. I decided to go home, he told the AP in 2013. Some of the great sports books of the 20th century, including North Dallas Forty and Secretariat, were written by his clients. But at last count, On the Road has sold five million copies and burned just as many gallons of gas as generations of young people have set out in search of either the America Kerouac saw or the ones that have taken its place. Dale was born March 11, 1944 in Greenville Township, the son of Delmar and Esther (Schrader) Sugars. Lord attended the author's funeral alongside fellow Beat Poet, Allen Ginsberg. In 1957, the book was released, The New York Times raved, and On the Road soon entered the American canon. He also became a tennis star at Grinnell College, and later a good enough player to compete against Don Budge, among others. Then there was his perfect moniker. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, file), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. [3] Aldo Leopold, a scientist and writer, was his uncle. She was born on December 12, 1928 in Rock Falls, the daughter of Ernesto and Maria (Bologna) Bellini. His first marriage, he would acknowledge, helped inspire him to go into business for himself. Fame increased the problem with alcohol they killed him in 1969. One editor wrote to Lorde that Kerouac really does possess a tremendous talent of a very special kind. HENRIETTA L. LORD, died at her home in Columbus on April 9, 2002. . His clients included Jack Kerouac, Ken Kesey, Howard Fast, Jimmy Breslin, and Doris Kearns Goodwin. For Mr. Lord, who died on Saturday his 102nd birthday in Ocala, Fla., such steadfastness was standard. [6], In 2015, the city of Burlington held its first Sterling Lord Writers and Readers Festival to honor him. For more than 60 years he was one of New Yorks most successful and durable literary agents, representing Jimmy Breslin, Art Buchwald, Willie Morris, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Howard Fast, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Gordon Parks, Edward M. Kennedy, Robert S. McNamara and the Berenstain Bears, among many others. With a rare tenacity, he endured the initial reluctance of the publishers embrace Kerouacs unconventional narrative and later was a longtime agent for a poet and playwright Amiri Baraka, a novelist Ken Kesey poet and owner of the Lights of the City bookstore. The list of well-known writers he represented is long. But it took him so long to sell it that a discouraged Kerouac asked him to pull it off the market. Arrangements were completed by McDonald Funeral Read More, Sylvia Rita Krummel Born: April 23, 1940 in Rock Island Died: February 4, 2023 in Rock Falls Sylvia Rita Krummel, 82, of Rock Falls, died Saturday, February 4, 2023 at her home. He stayed with the company he founded until almost 100 years old, and then decided to open a new one. Thanks to his friendship with Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, Lord helped launch Stan and Jan Berenstains multimillion-selling books about an anthropomorphic bear family. The legend of Sterling Lord dates back to 1952, when he was just getting started as a literary agent. Books and tennis were lifelong passions. Sterling Lord, who started his own agency in 1952 and later merged with rival Literistic to form Sterling Lord Literistic Inc., was a failed magazine publisher who became, almost surely, the longest-serving agent in the book business. He was well-spoken and athletic, a most able negotiator who dressed in tweed and avoided most vices. Van Coillie, age 78 died Friday, January 13th 2023 at Rock River Hospice and Home, Sterling. I decided to go home, he told the AP in 2013. He represented former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara and Judge John Sirica of Watergate fame and worked often with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis during her time as an editor with Doubleday and Viking. He got Erica Jong $1.2 million for her novel Fanny and Judge John J. Sirica $500,000 for the paperback rights to his Watergate memoir. [3], Last edited on 5 September 2022, at 21:13, "The Agent from Iowa Who Found Greatness", "Legendary Literary Agent Sterling Lord on How Jack Kerouac Got His Start", "Sterling Lord, Premier Literary Agent, Is Dead at 102", "Sterling Lord '42, Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters", "A Memoir by Kerouac's Agent, Sterling Lord", "Lawrence Ferlinghetti Celebrates His 100th Birthday With a Novel", "Little Boy by Lawrence Ferlinghetti review unleashing the word-hoard", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sterling_Lord&oldid=1108705940, This page was last edited on 5 September 2022, at 21:13. Subscribe to receive the latest local obituaries delivered to your inbox. Share. "He had a good death . According to the funeral home, the Read More, Beulah L. Sanders Born: May 3, 1934 in Sterling, IL Died: January 29, 2023 in Sterling, IL STERLING- Beulah L. Sanders, age 88, died peacefully and surrounded by family and friends at her Home Sunday, January 29th, 2023. Some of the great sports books of the 20th century, from North Dallas Forty to Secretariat, were written by his clients. [3] A magazine called Weekend which he bought with a partner, Evan Jones, failed, and he was fired from Cosmopolitan magazine. By 1955, Kerouac was ready to give up but Lord was not. In a 1983 article in The Globe and Mail of Toronto, Mr. Colbert said that it was to him that Mr. Giroux had sent Kerouac, and that it was he who had first spotted him an imperfect body with neck too long and legs too short in the office doorway. Though nearly the same age Kerouac was 29 at the time, Mr. Lord two years older the two men shared little else; Mr. Lord was an urbane man who favored jackets, foulards and tennis whites, spoke almost inaudibly, and had no apparent vices. His full roster of clients produced works about sports, politics, murder and the travails of illustrated animals. [1] While in high school, Lord was the school's newspaper editor. NEW YORK (AP) Sterling Lord, the uniquely enduring literary agent who worked for years to find a publisher for Jack Kerouacs On the Road and over the following decades arranged deals for everyone from true crime writer Joe McGinniss to the creators of the Berenstain Bears, has died. NEW YORK (AP) Sterling Lord, the uniquely enduring literary agent who worked for years to find a publisher for Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" and over the following decades arranged deals for everyone from true crime writer Joe McGinniss to the creators of the Berenstain Bears, has died. Lord had met many agents during his magazine years and believed they failed to understand that the American public was becoming more urban and sophisticated. After serving in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, Mr. Lord co-owned the Germany-based magazine Weekend, which soon folded. He also prided himself on his sympathy for writers who lived much wilder lives than he did. Kerouac already had completed a conventional novel, The Town and the City, but had no agent and surely needed one for his next book: On the Road was typed, as Lord was among the first to know, on a 120-foot scroll of architectural tracing paper., Lord believed that Kerouac had a fresh, distinctive voice that should be heard. But the industry was not in the mood. Lord was born in Burlington, Iowa,[1][2] on September 3, 1920. He was born on November 20, 1939 in Freeport, IL the son of Edwin and Ruth (Lynch) Read More, Alan "Al" Wildman Born: November 28, 1942 Died: January 19, 2023 in Sterling, IL Alan D. "Al" Wildman, 80, of Sterling died January 19, 2023 at CGH Medical Center in Sterling. Rarely, he boasted, did he scour for clients, let alone steal them as others were increasingly wont to do. After years of failed attempts, a filmed version of On the Road was released in 2012. According to the funeral home, the following Read More, Valerie A. Hill Died: February 2, 2023 STERLING " Valerie A. Hill, age 63, died Thursday, February 2, 2023 at Loyola Medical Center in Maywood. Patti was born February 17, 1943 in Sterling the daughter of Marion and Read More, Patti Simester's passing has been publicly announced by Schilling Funeral Home - Sterling in Sterling, IL. Lord died Saturday in a nursing home in Ocala, Fla.,his daughter, Rebecca Lord, said. He stayed with the company he founded until he was nearly 100 and then decided to launch a new one. 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Mike was born on May 9, 1950 in Dixon the son of Richard and Lolita (Horton) Hoyle. The literary agent Sterling Lord in his office in Manhattan in 2016, surrounded by books whose authors he represented. In 1957, the book was released, the New York Times raved, and On the Road soon entered the American canon. He negotiated the terms between McGinnis and the accused killer Geoffrey McDonald, later convicted, for the true crime classic Fatal Vision. In On The Road, Mr. Lord believed that Kerouac had a fresh, distinctive voice that should be heard. But the industry was not in the mood. Sterling Lord, who started his own agency in 1952 and later merged with rival Literistic to form Sterling Lord Literistic Inc., was a failed magazine publisher who became, almost surely, the longest-serving agent in the book business. He stayed with the company he founded until almost 100 years old, and then decided to open a new one. [3], Open Road published Lord's memoir Lord of Publishing in 2013. It began when his mother would read to him after dinner; he went on to edit his high school newspaper and work as a sports stringer around the same time for the Des Moines Register. He negotiated terms between McGinniss and accused killer Jeffrey MacDonald, later convicted, for the true-crime classic Fatal Vision. He found a publisher for Nicholas Pileggis mob story Wiseguy and helped arrange the deal for its celebrated film adaptation, Goodfellas., In the early 1960s, Viking had asked Mr. Lord to get a blurb from Kerouac for One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Keseys first and best-known novel. He represented former U.S. defense secretary Robert McNamara and Judge John Sirica of Watergate fame, and he often worked with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis during her time as an editor with Doubleday and Viking. Lord died Saturday, Sept 3, 2022 in a Skilled Nursing home in Ocala, Florida, according to his daughter, Rebecca Lord. A number of things about this business have really caught me and made it a compelling interest, Lord told the AP in 2013. [3] Ports, age 83, of Sterling, died Monday, February 6, 2023 at CGH Medical Center in Sterling. The agent eventually sold excerpts to The Paris Review and the periodical New World Writing. Whether youre a lifelong resident of D.C. or you just moved here, weve got you covered. He represented former US Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and Judge John Sirica of Watergate fame and often worked with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis during her tenure as editor of Doubleday and Viking. He was well-spoken and athletic, a very capable negotiator, dressed in tweeds, and avoided most vices. Representatives for the former president informed Lord in the late 1960s that Johnson wanted $1 million for the book and that Lord should accept less than his usual commission for the honor of working with him. Mr. Lord, who started his own agency in 1952 and later merged with rival Literistic to form Sterling Lord Literistic, was a failed magazine publisher who became, almost surely, the longest-serving agent in the book business. He had just turned 102. Mr. Lord gradually yielded day-to-day management and eventually sold his stock. Even younger editors who may have related to Kerouacs jazzy celebration of youth and personal freedom turned him down.