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| Peter Usborne | |
Peter Usborne, founder of children's publisher Usborne, died March 30. He was 85. Announcing the passing of "our much-loved founder and chairman," the publisher said: "Peter was, in the truest sense of the word, a genius--his brilliance was matched only by his determination to make books accessible to all children. This determination was fueled by his passion for 'doing things better' than any other children's book publisher, matched with a child-like energy and curiosity that made him light up every room he stepped into. He was an exceptional publisher, an inspirational leader and a very kind, generous man who will be sorely missed by everyone who was lucky enough to know him."
In a statement, Nicola Usborne, his daughter and the company's managing director, observed: "We will miss him more than I can say. He was a brilliant, ever curious, ever enthusiastic man--who was also very kind, very generous and honorable and principled to his core.... We take some solace in the fact that he had such a very full life right up until the end. He was so proud to pick up his CBE recently at Windsor Castle; he loved every minute of the Bologna Children's Book Fair and Usborne's 50th anniversary party with so many long-standing customers; he was thrilled at a recent fiction buy.
"He spent his very last day yesterday in the office in a whole day meeting with HarperCollins US talking about the U.S. trade channel expansion that he was so excited by. He had traveled into his beloved office by tube--as he always did. He was living his life as he always wanted to. He never ever understood why anyone would want to retire, and he would have been so pleased that he never, even remotely, did."
"My dad was incredibly proud of everyone who works at Usborne, which includes many long-standing members of staff. He made clear that any award he was given was owed to all at Usborne and he read every book cover to cover. Dad was also immensely proud of the charity he co-founded, the Usborne Foundation. Giving back was enormously important to him.
"The company and all the staff meant so much to him. Irrespective of length of service my dad was a huge influence on Usborne and we're all feeling his loss hugely. I feel very lucky to have had a number of years learning from my dad about how he felt Usborne should be run. I will do my absolute best to keep his remarkable legacy alive as we take Usborne forward. My dad left very clear, indelible tracks for us to follow. It was his greatest wish that Usborne would keep on pushing forward, even ultimately without him."
Co-founder of the satirical magazine Private Eye, Usborne "founded his publishing house in 1973 when he found out he was going to become a parent," the Bookseller noted. Last month, he received a CBE from King Charles III, which followed an MBE in 2011 for services to the publishing industry and in 2015 he received the London Book Fair Lifetime Achievement Award.
"I first met Peter when I took over HarperCollins in 2013--I took him for lunch at the Caprice," HarperCollins UK CEO Charlie Redmayne recalled. "He was there when I arrived--always punctual--I walked to the table and introduced myself--'Now I'm not going to sell you my company', he said. 'I haven't asked to buy your company', I replied. 'You will--they all do', he said with a knowing smile. He was of course right--what a wonderful man and a wonderful company he built. The word great is often used too freely--but Peter was one of the greats of publishing--and an exceptionally nice man with it."
The Independent Publishers Guild said in a statement: "We are so sad to hear of Peter's passing. He was one of the greatest ever independent publishers and a hero and inspiration to so many. We send our condolences to Peter's family, everyone at Usborne and his countless friends across publishing."