I forwarded the question to David Bonner, who supplied the response below. It also seemed an appropriate opportunity to plug his forthcoming book which provides more detail.
Karl
David Bonner <david@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2007 18:06:49 -0500 Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] regurgitators From: David Bonner <david@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: karl.miller@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
ARS, MTW, Philharmonic Family Library were all owned by the same company. MTW licensed most of its stuff from Urania; a couple of titles were from Vanguard; several others were original recordings, made in Europe during the ARS sessions. MTW started in 1954. I don't have any specific issue dates, though the year can be approximated by the copyrights on the "Music Appreciation" pamphlets which accompanied each record. (Mike Biel was a longtime subscriber, so maybe he kept some of the paperwork; he seem like the kinda guy who keeps things.) I've cross-referenced most of the MTW/Urania titles, if that of any use.
I think America Recording Society (not to be confused with AmericaN Recording Society, of course) was affiliated with the Catholic weekly magazine AMERICA. I don't know why I think this, but I do. Would I make up something like that?
One of the guys behind Basic Library of the World's Greatest Music (the GREEN ones) was named Mac Gache. An old-time mail-order guy. He had a couple of partners, and they had rights to the Funk & Wagnalls encyclopedias. I think they eventually sold out to Dun & Bradstreet.
OK, I will now take this golden opportunity plug my forthcoming worst-seller book, which adds more detail to the trivia above.
http://www.scarecrowpress.com/Catalog/Flyer2.shtml?SKU=081085919X
-David B.