Charles Ede

Career After the War, instead of going up to Oxford, as he had planned, Ede completed a course at the London School of Printing. In 1947, inspired by the Kelmscott Press, with the help of Alan Bott, founder of the Book Trust and Pan Books, and Christopher Sandford, who owned the Golden Cockerel Press, Ede founded the Folio Society, a publisher of high-quality illustrated books, mostly well-known works. Its stated aim was to offer "editions of the world's great literature, in a format worthy of the contents, at a price within the reach of everyman." Only three volumes appeared in 1947, Tolstoy's Tales, George du Maurier's Trilby, and Aucassin and Nicolette, but the aim of publishing a book a month was eventually achieved.

Personal life In 1947, Ede married Elizabeth Craze, and they had four sons and two daughters. Their youngest son succeeded him as managing director of Charles Ede Ltd. when he stood down in 1986.

Selected publications The Art of the Book: Some Record of Work Carried Out in Europe and the U.S.A. 1939-1950. London: Studio Publications, 1951. Collecting Antiquities: An Introductory Guide. London; Dent, 1976.