Tad Crawford (author)
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Tad Crawford (born 1946) is an American author, attorney, and publisher. He is the founder of Allworth Press and the author of books on legal and business issues affecting creative professionals, as well as works of fiction and nonfiction on topics including money, mythology, and psychology.
Early life and education
Crawford was raised in Woodstock, New York. He studied economics at Tufts University and earned a J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1971. From 1972 to 1973, he clerked for the New York Court of Appeals.
Career
In the 1970s, Crawford taught a course titled Law and the Visual Artist at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. This led to the publication of his first book, Legal Guide for the Visual Artist (1977), which remains in print in its sixth edition.[1] He later co-authored The Writer's Legal Guide with Kay Murray.[2]
He served on the board of the Foundation for the Community of Artists and was general counsel for the Graphic Artists Guild. In 1984, Crawford drafted legislation for the New York Artists Authorship Rights Act, which was enacted under New York Arts and Cultural Affairs Law § 14.03.[3] His advocacy contributed to similar laws in other states, including California[4] and Oregon.[5]
In 1986, he testified before the United States Senate Subcommittee on Patents, Copyrights and Trademarks during a hearing on the Work for Hire and moral rights provisions of copyright law.[6]
Crawford received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1979 for his work on legal issues affecting artists.[7] In 1992, he received the Graphic Artists Guild’s Walter Hortens Award for Distinguished Service.[8]
He has spoken at events hosted by organizations such as the Society of Illustrators, the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), and the Society of Publication Designers. In 1980, he moderated the Business of Art and the Artist conference at the American Museum of Natural History, co-sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Small Business Administration.
Publishing
In 1982, Crawford became publisher of Madison Square Press, which produced annual books for visual arts organizations. In 1989, he launched Allworth Press, beginning with a revised edition of Legal Guide for the Visual Artist. By 1990, the company had published ten additional titles focused on professional development for artists, photographers, and writers.
In 1994, Allworth Press received the Small Press Publisher of the Year Award from Quality Books Inc.[9]. In 2011, the company became an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, and by 2025 had published nearly 400 titles.
Writing
Crawford's nonfiction includes The Secret Life of Money (1995; 2nd ed. 2023), which explores the symbolic and emotional dimensions of money through global folktales and archetypes. The book received an Award of Excellence from Mind, Body, Spirit magazine and was reviewed in Publishers Weekly.[10][11]
His novels include:
- A Floating Life (2012), a story about a man undergoing personal transformation during midlife.[12]
- On Wine-Dark Seas (2023), a sequel to Homer’s Odyssey that imagines the later lives of Odysseus, Penelope, and Telemachus.[13]
- A Woman in the Wild (2025), which centers on a psychologist coping with estrangement from her daughter.
Crawford’s shorter works have appeared in publications including Art in America, The Nation, Guernica, Writer's Digest, and The Café Irreal.[14]
Selected bibliography
- Legal Guide for the Visual Artist (with Bo Bogatin)
- The Writer’s Legal Guide (with Kay Murray)
- The Secret Life of Money
- A Floating Life
- On Wine-Dark Seas
- A Woman in the Wild
- Editor of AIGA Professional Practices in Graphic Design
- Business and Legal Forms series (for artists, photographers, designers, and others)
References
- ↑ Crawford, Tad (2016). Legal Guide for the Visual Artist (6th ed.). Allworth Press. Search this book on
- ↑ Crawford, Tad; Murray, Kay. The Writer's Legal Guide (4th ed.). Search this book on
- ↑ "Arts and Cultural Affairs Law § 14.03". New York State Senate. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ↑ "California Civil Code § 988". Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ↑ "ORS 359.350–365". Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ↑ "Hearing on S.2796". U.S. Government Publishing Office. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ↑ "NEA Annual Report 1979" (PDF). National Endowment for the Arts. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ↑ "Graphic Artists Guild Awards". Skyhorse Publishing. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ↑ "Allworth Press About Us". Skyhorse Publishing. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ↑ Crawford, Tad (2023). The Secret Life of Money. Allworth Press. Search this book on
- ↑ "Review: The Secret Life of Money". Publishers Weekly. November 7, 1994.
- ↑ "A Floating Life". Kirkus Reviews. September 1, 2012.
- ↑ "Review of On Wine-Dark Seas". Historical Novel Society. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ↑ "Tad Crawford biography". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
External links
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