Michael Joseph (publisher)


Michael Joseph was a British publisher and writer.

Early life and career

Joseph was born in Upper Clapton, London. He served in the British Army during the First World War, and then embarked on a writing career, his first book being Short Story Writing for Profit.
After a period as a literary agent for Curtis Brown, Joseph founded his own publishing imprint as a subsidiary of Victor Gollancz Ltd. Gollancz invested £4000 in Michael Joseph Ltd, established 5 September 1935. Joseph and Victor Gollancz disagreed on many points and Michael Joseph bought out Gollancz Ltd in 1938 after Gollancz attempted to censor Across the Frontiers by Sir Philip Gibbs on political grounds. Joseph managed to build up an impressive list of authors, such as H. E. Bates, C. S. Forester, Monica Dickens, and Richard Llewellyn.

Personal life

Joseph married actress Hermione Gingold in 1918 and had two sons, Leslie and Stephen Joseph. The couple divorced in 1926 and Joseph promptly married Edna Victoria Nellie Frost, with whom he had a daughter Shirley and son Richard. Richard established a very successful career in printing and then later running his own publishing company. He and his wife, Elizabeth, had a son, Adam Joseph and daughter, Rachel Joseph. Edna died in 1949 and Joseph's third marriage the next year was to Anthea Esther Hodson, with whom he had a daughter Charlotte and son Hugh. Anthea ran the publishing business after her husband's death.

Death

Michael Joseph died of septicaemia after a delayed medical operation in 1958.

Michael Joseph Ltd from 1958

After Joseph died, his widow Anthea Joseph rescued the publishing company Michael Joseph Ltd, from the ensuing crisis. In 1985, Michael Joseph Ltd was acquired by Penguin Books. Penguin turned its new property into one of its imprints and in 2018 Penguin describes Michael Joseph as "he leading commercial fiction and non-fiction imprint of Penguin Books", specialising in "women’s fiction, crime, thrillers, cookery, memoirs and lifestyle books".

Books written by Michael Joseph

The series of books known as "", written by Derek Tangye, from 1962 to 1996.
Other authors on Joseph’s list included Paul Gallico, Joyce Cary, Richard Gordon and Vita Sackville-West.