The groundbreaking publisher and philanthropist Paul Hamlyn died of cancer in London at the age of 75.
Always a populist, Hamlyn started his meteoric career selling books off a barrow in Camden, North London, opening his first shop at the age of 21. His first book imprint, Books for Pleasure, appeared in 1949, consisting of cheaply produced literature classics, which he sold through unconventional outlets for the time: general shops and department stores.
Hamlyn's books were produced in a new way and his vision was pan-European, quite unlike anything the conservative British publishing fraternity had seen before. The books were produced in large, cheap editions, usually in several languages, to keep costs as low as possible, and the key to the enterprise was his choice of printers in Czechoslovakia who had the technical expertise to produce lavishly illustrated books at a rock-bottom price. Hamlyn was also the first to utilize the printing industry of Hong Kong.
In 1964, Hamlyn sold his publishing business to IPC for £2.2 million and became chairman of the group's publishing interests until 1969, when he left to set up Octopus. This culminated in his partnership with Terence Conran, capitalizing on the growing interest in illustrated lifestyle and design titles. From his London headquarters, Hamlyn's tentacles reached far and wide. Octopus's acquisitions included Heinemann, Secker and Warburg and Methuen and, in 1987, the group was sold to Reed Elsevier for £530 million. Hamlyn's own shares were valued at £223 million in 1998.
Hamlyn was also known for his enormous generosity, which has funded cultural and educational projects throughout the world.
