Inspiration
Joshua Sklare grew up surrounded by books. His grandfather wrote a memoir, America, I Love You, that inspired Josh. His father, Marshall Sklare, was a sociology professor at Brandeis University and a published author. His mother, Rose Sklare, spent her career as an editor at some of America’s most respected publishers—Ginn & Co., Little Brown, Macmillan, and Harcourt Brace. She was the founding inspiration for Classic Stories.
Founding
In December 2005, a family member asked Josh to help write a private biography for family and a few close friends. After researching the field of private memoirs and biographies, he found a glaring gap. The books lacked research rigor, writing quality, and production values of the best commercially available books.
What began as a single project became a twenty-year practice. Classic Stories—originally founded as Montefiore Press, Inc.—has since produced over two dozen private volumes for some of the most accomplished men and women in America.