. ▁ ▁Bl anche ▁Kn opf ▁died ▁in ▁June ▁ 1 9 6 6 . ▁Alfred ▁rem ar ried ▁in ▁April ▁of ▁the ▁following ▁year , ▁to ▁Helen ▁Nor cross ▁Hed rick . ▁He ▁died ▁of ▁con gest ive ▁heart ▁failure ▁on ▁August ▁ 1 1 , ▁ 1 9 8 4 , ▁at ▁his ▁estate ▁in ▁P urchase , ▁New ▁York . ▁ ▁Person ality ▁Kn opf ▁had ▁little ▁enthus ias m ▁for ▁most ▁of ▁the ▁changes ▁that ▁took ▁place ▁in ▁the ▁publishing ▁industry ▁during ▁his ▁lifetime . ▁" To o ▁many ▁books ▁are ▁published , ▁and ▁they ▁are ▁over pr iced ," ▁he ▁told ▁The ▁Saturday ▁Review . ▁These ▁are ▁things ▁" about ▁which ▁all ▁publish ers ▁agree , ▁and ▁about ▁which ▁no ▁publish er ▁does ▁anything ." ▁The ▁most ▁fundamental ▁change ▁he ▁noted ▁was ▁the ▁increased ▁importance ▁of ▁the ▁editor . ▁" In ▁the ▁early ▁days , ▁things ▁were ▁quite ▁simple . ▁The ▁books ▁came ▁in ; ▁we ▁published ▁them ▁as ▁written ... ▁A ▁publish er ▁was ▁regarded — and ▁so , ▁in ▁turn , ▁was ▁the ▁writer — as ▁a ▁pro . ▁A ▁writer ' s ▁job ▁was ▁to ▁write ▁a ▁book ▁and ▁give ▁it ▁to ▁you ." ▁And ▁he ▁remarked ▁to ▁Sh en ker : ▁" I ▁guess ▁business ▁became ▁more ▁complicated ▁and ▁publish ers ▁less ▁liter ate . ▁It ▁ceased ▁to ▁be ▁the ▁fact ▁that ▁publish ers ▁publish ▁and ▁authors ▁write . ▁Today ▁authors ▁submit ▁manuscript s ▁and ▁edit ors ▁write ▁books ." ▁The ▁editor ▁is ▁now