If you’re asking who published the frozen river, the U.S. hardcover edition was published by Doubleday, an imprint of Penguin Random House. The novel is by Ariel Lawhon and was first published in the United States on December 5, 2023.
Publisher details can differ between countries and formats, so the answer on one retailer’s page may not match another edition. Here’s how to identify the publisher, understand the difference between a publisher and an imprint, and check that a listing refers to the right book.
who published the frozen river?
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon was published in the United States by Doubleday. Doubleday is an imprint of Penguin Random House, one of the major publishing groups. The U.S. hardcover edition was released on December 5, 2023.
That is the clearest answer for readers asking about the original U.S. edition. If you are looking at an edition from another country, a later paperback, an ebook, or an audiobook, the publisher shown in its listing may be different. Publishers can license a book to other companies for publication in different territories and formats.
The novel’s author is Ariel Lawhon. Doubleday is the publishing imprint, while Penguin Random House is the larger company associated with that imprint. These names describe different levels of the publishing arrangement; they are not competing answers.
What the publisher information means
A book’s publisher line can include an imprint, a parent company, or both. That can make search results seem inconsistent even when they refer to the same edition. A retailer might list Doubleday as the publisher, while a catalog record or company page identifies Penguin Random House as the parent publisher.
Publisher, imprint, and parent company
- Publisher: The company responsible for publishing and distributing a particular edition.
- Imprint: A publishing label used by a larger company. Doubleday is the imprint associated with the U.S. edition.
- Parent company: The larger organization that owns or operates an imprint. In this case, that is Penguin Random House.
For a straightforward answer, name Doubleday as the publisher of the U.S. hardcover and mention that it is part of Penguin Random House. This gives readers both the label printed in many book listings and the larger company behind it.
These labels do not identify the author, editor, bookseller, or printing plant. Ariel Lawhon wrote the novel; a publisher produced and issued the edition. A shop that sells the book is a retailer, not necessarily its publisher.
Publication details for Ariel Lawhon’s novel
The Frozen River is a historical novel centered on Martha Ballard, a midwife living in Hallowell, Maine, in the late eighteenth century. The story draws on the historical record of Ballard’s life and work, including her diary. Its U.S. hardcover publication date was December 5, 2023, under the Doubleday imprint.
Book listings may show additional information, such as a format, publication date, page count, or ISBN. Those details help identify a specific edition, but they do not change who wrote the book. They can also differ from one format or national edition to another.
The U.S. hardcover ISBN-13 commonly associated with this edition is 9780385546874. An ISBN is a product identifier assigned to a particular book edition or format. It is more useful than title alone when several books have similar names or when a retailer’s description is incomplete.
Use the ISBN as a cross-check rather than assuming every edition shares it. A paperback or ebook may have a different ISBN, and another country’s edition may use its own identifier. If the format, date, or publisher in a listing does not match what you expect, compare the ISBN and edition information before buying or citing the book.
Publisher details by edition
The publisher can vary with the edition. The table below separates the widely cited U.S. hardcover information from details that require checking against the specific copy. It avoids treating every international or digital edition as if it were identical.
| Edition or detail | Publisher information | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. hardcover | Doubleday, an imprint of Penguin Random House; published December 5, 2023 | Readers asking about the original U.S. hardcover |
| U.S. paperback | Check the paperback’s own copyright page or catalog record | Identifying the publisher of a later print edition |
| Ebook | Check the ebook listing or its publication details; formats can have separate records | Confirming the digital edition’s listed publisher and release date |
| Audiobook | Check the audiobook product record, which may name a format-specific publisher or distributor | Finding the company responsible for a particular audio release |
| Edition outside the United States | Check the regional book record or copyright page | Identifying a licensed edition published for another market |
The table is intentionally cautious about formats beyond the U.S. hardcover. A publisher can issue a book in one market and license another edition elsewhere. A retailer’s listing may also show the company that distributes a digital or audio product rather than the imprint readers recognize from the hardcover.
How to confirm the publisher in your copy
If you need an exact reference for a school assignment, library record, review, or purchase, identify the edition first. The title and author are not always enough. A quick check of the copyright page can resolve differences between online listings.
- Confirm the author and full title. Look for Ariel Lawhon and The Frozen River. This helps rule out another work with a similar title.
- Identify the format. Note whether the book is a hardcover, paperback, ebook, or audiobook. Each format may have a separate record.
- Check the publication page. In a print copy, look at the copyright page near the front. It usually names the publisher or imprint and provides edition information.
- Compare the ISBN when available. Match the number to the format and edition shown in the record. Do not assume a paperback and hardcover share one.
- Read the publisher line carefully. If it names Doubleday, that identifies the imprint. Penguin Random House may also appear as the parent company.
- Use an edition-specific catalog entry if the copy is digital. Digital books do not have a print copyright page in the same place, so use the product’s publication details or a library catalog record.
This method is useful because book retailer pages can combine data from several editions. One page may display a paperback cover while showing the original hardcover date, or it may omit the imprint altogether. The physical or digital edition record is a better guide than a search snippet.
Why listings may name different publishers
A difference in publisher names does not automatically mean a listing is wrong. Publishing groups use imprints, and different imprints can handle different types of books or editions. The parent company may appear in one source, while another source uses the imprint shown on the book.
International rights create another source of variation. A publisher may acquire the right to issue a book in one territory, while another publisher handles a separate market. The book remains the same work by the same author, but its edition details may reflect local publishing arrangements.
Format can matter, too. Print, ebook, and audio releases are often managed through separate product records. A platform may name a digital distributor or audio label in a field that a reader expects to contain the print publisher. Check what the record is describing before comparing names.
Finally, online catalogs sometimes contain incomplete or merged metadata. A page might use the date of the first edition for every format, or leave out the imprint. When details conflict, give more weight to the copyright page in the copy you have, or to a catalog record that matches its exact ISBN and format.
Is Doubleday the publisher or just the imprint?
Both descriptions can be correct at different levels. Doubleday is the imprint named for the U.S. hardcover edition. It operates within Penguin Random House, the larger publishing company. Saying “published by Doubleday” is a practical answer to the usual question; adding “an imprint of Penguin Random House” makes the relationship clear.
For a short bibliography, follow the citation style you are using and the information shown in the edition you consulted. Some styles prefer the imprint name, while other catalog records may display the parent publisher. Do not add both names if your required citation format calls for only one publisher field.
For a purchase, focus on the edition rather than the corporate hierarchy. A listing that names Doubleday and matches the U.S. hardcover details is consistent with the original U.S. edition. A different publisher name on another format may reflect a later release or a regional edition, not a different author.
Make sure you have the right book
The title The Frozen River can be confused with other works that use similar wording. If you are searching online, include the author’s name, Ariel Lawhon, to narrow the results. If the result is a film, a different novel, or a general page about frozen rivers, it is not the book discussed here.
Check the title, author, and format together. A matching cover can help, but covers change between editions and markets. The ISBN and the publisher information provide stronger clues when you need to verify a particular copy.
For the novel by Lawhon, the most useful reference point is the U.S. hardcover edition published by Doubleday on December 5, 2023. If a question asks for the parent company, Penguin Random House is the relevant larger organization. State the edition you mean if a precise answer matters.
Using the publisher information accurately
When sharing the information in a book report or online answer, avoid presenting one edition’s details as universal. A clear sentence can say that the U.S. hardcover was published by Doubleday, an imprint of Penguin Random House, in 2023. That wording gives the reader the market and format, while avoiding confusion with later editions.
If you are citing a copy you own, follow the bibliographic details printed in that copy instead of copying a generic retailer listing. Use the exact publication information for its edition, and include the author, title, and year as required by your citation style. This is especially helpful when your copy is a translation, a reprint, or a regional release.
If you are buying a copy, compare the description with the format you want. Confirm whether the item is hardcover, paperback, ebook, or audio, then check its publication details and ISBN if shown. That small step can prevent you from ordering the wrong format or relying on a listing that has combined details from multiple editions.
For a quick answer, Doubleday is the name to give for the original U.S. hardcover. For a more complete answer, add that Doubleday is a Penguin Random House imprint and note that other formats or markets can list different edition-specific publishers.
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon was published in the United States by Doubleday, an imprint of Penguin Random House. The U.S. hardcover edition was released on December 5, 2023.
If you need details for a particular copy, check its copyright page or match its ISBN to the exact format. That confirms the publisher for your edition rather than relying on a listing that may describe another release.