Betty Ballantine

Betty Ballantine (born Elizabeth Jones on September 25, 1919, and died February 12, 2019) was an American publisher, editor, and writer. Born during the British Raj to a colonial family, she moved to New York after marrying Ian Ballantine in 1939. Together, they founded Bantam Books in 1945 and Ballantine Books in 1952. The couple became freelance publishers in the 1970s. Their son, Richard Ballantine, was an author and journalist known for his work on cycling topics.

Ballantine won several awards throughout her career. In 1975, she and Ian received a World Fantasy Award for professional work, and they shared another award with Joy Chant and others for *The High Kings* (Bantam, 1983), a reference book on the Matter of Britain. Betty also received a Special Committee Award from the annual World Science Fiction Convention in 2006 and a World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 2007. Both she and Ian were inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2008.

Ballantine authored *The Secret Oceans*, published by Bantam in 1994, featuring illustrations by twelve artists.