European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 17, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                She single web and Sellers by George Eberl staff writer Hief source of encyclopedias sold by off Post Compa Nies in Europe is lexicon publications. Inc. A wholly owned subsidiary in new York City of the trouble plagued Grolier inc. The product is new age encyclopedia. It is marketed to military personnel by five firms on a Doorbell punching and bar Racks visiting basis. It is sold in Europe by agents for Colum Bia corp. Tosca distributing co., the Richards co. Establishment Merit Educa tors inc., and books. , inc., formerly known As trans Atlantic marketing in the european marketplace dropped open usage of the Tam name after the armed forces disciplinary control Board placed it off limits because of its sales practices. New age and its Sellers Are ele ments of a tangled corporate tale Cen tearing on lexicon the Groller wholesale Wing. The complicated web spun by supplier and seller reflects the Jekyll Hyde nature of the encyclopedia  is Good using deceptive Means to Market it is bad. This uneasy marriage of knowledge and sales is readily seen in the financially burdened Empire of Grolier inc., whose name has been linked with reference books for More than to  one hand. Grolier has been one of the Foremost publishers of encyclopedias in the world. On the other the publishing giant is now appealing an initial decision by the Federal Trade commission that Grolier violated Etc Laws regarding recruiting sales payment and debt collection practices. The five year old Case could drag on if the opinion of the Etc Law judge is upheld and Grolier moves its Appeal into the  courts. Grolier s Story bears directly on . Military Consumers in Europe. Four major lines of encyclopedias Are Grolier products new age sold off Post and encyclopedias americana and International and Book of knowledge marketed through  latter three products come under Grolier inc s retail Wing Grolier inter state whose president is John j. Toman. Interstate was created in the Early 1970s by William j. Murphy Grolier inc s chairman of the Board. Toman took Over in 1972. Grolier s far Hung retail operations were consolidated under the inter state Banner. Fred Weyh of Stuttgart is interstate s european vice president and under him As chief of the company s Exchange sales is Peter  it is on the wholesale Side of the sprawling Grolier House that much of the confusion and a sizable Grolier dilemma  of Grolier s subsidiaries the Rich Ards company was to have come under interstate As part of the 1970-71  according to Etc documents. The Richards company s sales activities kept it in hot water including being barred from Selling in California and it was excluded from , the subsidiary s president John j. Ryan who had headed the Rich Ards company since the mid sixties became involved in Grolier s wholesale operation. He now runs lexicon. Ryan created a network of subs do Aries under the Groller umbrella to handle phases of the wholesale Busl Nesi. Despite the similarity of names the european operation of Richards company establishment headed by Wolfgang Durst. Is presently unrelated to the Rich Ards company in new York two corporate names known to some new age buyers in Europe Are the Excel Sior trading corp. And the Bunker Hill service corp., a pair of Ryan creations. Excelsior was a supplier and Bunker Lull the financing Wing for the wholesale operation. But these subsidiaries now face Uncertain fates under the ongoing Grolier consolidation. This consolidation is part of Grolier s Effort to right itself. Grolier has been in an economic slide according to the Media Industry newsletter. One of the most recent blows in a series of setbacks occurred in february of this year when Groller was de listed from the new York Stock Exchange. The firm s 1976 annual statement showed losses for the fourth straight year. Loss totalled $77.8 million while net Worth of Grolier was placed at $45.5  s operation supplies the enc Clor puerto for Sas 01 Arthur Travis Grolier s Murphy says firm can t control who Sells its books. Medias new age which Are Central to the packages or programs being hawked in Barracks aboard ships in the med m Mili tary housing occasionally in the exchanges and perhaps most commonly door to door on the local economies. The Standard pitch employed in Europe to sell the books Breaks Etc Laws in almost every particular. Misrepresentation in the interest of making a Buck is at the Root of Grolier s i  in his 21st-floor executive suite of the Grofic building at 575 Lexington ave. The tall Well spoken Murphy explained the  said the Etc claims Grolier As Parent company is liable for the sales practices of firms buying new age from lexicon on a wholesale basis. The Etc proposes a surveillance procedure be set up by Grolier to oversee  the same time claims Murphy the depart it Ril of Justice insists that lexicon sell to All Comers. Moreover a surveil Lance by Grolier of a wholesale customer could be grounds for a suit he  said when the armed forces disciplinary control Board placed a euro pan sales outfit off limits in Early 1976. Grolier tried to refuse Selling books to the firm i Murphy declined to name the company Only to be threatened with a Law suit. The situation is further complicated when one business buys the encyclopedias from lexicon and resells them to still another company. If the biter is riddled with wrongdoers any control or policing by the supplier is virtually impossible. The wholesaling works this Way Lexi con buys the new age from its Parent. Grolier. Lexicon then Sells to jobbers who May resell to direct sales organizations or have i heir own sales Force to Market the books. Of the five off Post outfits now Selling new age in Europe three buy directly from lexicon according to Murphy. They Are books. Inc. Tosca distributing co., and Merit educators. Inc. Murphy in supplying these names noted that Wolfgang burst s Richards co. Establishment is apparently now Pur chasing from books  he said that Columbia corp. Is unknown to lexicon but added that Standard educators of Manchester. Conn., and the american corp. Of new York City each buy new age from lexicon for sales i Europe. By identifying books inc., As for Merly trans Atlantic marketing Murphy raised a question about the european sales outfit. It was placed off limits As trans Atlantic marketing. Is it still off limits under a Dif Ferent name or. Does the change of name mean a change of status even As Grolier records and publishes data about Man and the universe in sets of highly rated books the Pitchman Are beat ing the Bushes for prey and using the name Grolier. .1 Page a4 the stars and stripes Friday