Times Names Book Review Editor

Steve Wasserman, editorial director of Times Books, a division of Random House Inc., has been named book editor of the Los Angeles Times, effective Oct. 16.

In making the announcement Wednesday, Times Editor and Executive Vice President Shelby Coffey III said, “Steve Wasserman combines a wealth of experience with a vast knowledge of the literary community. In his new role as book editor, Steve brings a strong sense of commitment to the continued journalistic excellence of our coverage.”

At Times Books, Wasserman worked with numerous authors, including President Clinton, broadcaster Ted Koppel, historian Theodore Draper and economic columnist Robert J. Samuelson.

He also pioneered such “instant books” as the best-selling “Saddam Hussein and the Crisis in the Gulf” by Judy Miller and Laurie Mylroie, and “Contract With America” by the House Republicans.

“Steve is a most thoughtful editor, and he will be missed,” said Harold Evans, president and publisher of Random House. “The only consolation is that the industry will gain by the appointment, as the head of one of the country’s most important book review sections, of a man who has a lifetime’s dedication to good books.”

Before joining Times Books, Wasserman was publisher and editorial director of Hill & Wang, a division of Farrar, Straus & Giroux. He also headed Noonday Press, the firm’s paperback imprint.

Before that, he was editor in chief for three years at New Republic Books, a subsidiary of the New Republic magazine and a co-publishing venture with Basic Books. From 1978 to 1983, he was assistant editor of the Los Angeles Times’ Sunday Opinion section and Op-Ed page.

In his new position, Wasserman, 44, will oversee the Times’ Sunday Book Review section and weekday book reviews in the Life & Style section. He will report to Times Associate Editor and Vice President Narda Zacchino, who said that his “skill as an editor, his prior achievements in book publishing and his love of books are invaluable assets.”

Wasserman, who is married with three children, has a bachelor’s degree in criminology from the UC Berkeley.