Paul Elek

Paul Elek (1906–1976) was a British publisher and the founder of the firm Paul Elek Publishers.

Life and career Born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1906 to a family with a publishing background, Elek migrated to Britain in 1938, having "fallen foul" of the Horthy administration "because of his liberal views". "a study of Britain's attitudes to refugees after 1933",

The book was brought to Anthony Blond's London literary agency in 1952 by Vanora McIndoe, the daughter of Sir Archie McIndoe, from Pape who was hospitalized in East Grinstead, and having plastic surgery, following a drunken motorcycle accident on the Isle of Man. After being read and approved by Blond's colleague Isabel Colegate, the book was published by Elek, who gave a £600 advance. It sold 160,000 copies at 16 shillings each, and Elek avoided bankruptcy.

After his death, his publishing interests – "Paul Elek Ltd..., London, along with its subsidiary companies, Elek Books Ltd and Paul Elek (Scientific Books) Ltd" – were sold to Granada Publishing, whose publishing interests were, in turn, acquired by William Collins, Sons, of Glasgow, in 1988.

Selected publications The Gothic Cathedral, Wim Swaan (1969) Castles of Europe, William Anderson (WS) (1970) Monasteries of the World, Christopher Brooke (WS) (1974) The Late Middle Ages, Wim Swaan (1977)

Ancient Cities and Temples Babylon, Albert Champdor (1958) Jerusalem, Michel Join-Lambert (1958) Ethiopia, Jean Doresse (1959) Maya Cities, Paul Rivet (1960) Carthage, Gilbert Picard (1964)

The Making of History The Age of Charlemagne, Donald Bullough (ES) (1965) The Age of Plantagenet and Valois, Kenneth Fowler (WS, ES) (1967) The Age of Augustus, Donald Earl (1968)

Centres of Art and Civilization Pompeii & Herculaneum, Marcel Brion (ES) (1960) Imperial Peking, Lin Yutang (1961) Venice the Masque of Italy, Marcel Brion (ES) (1962) Moorish Spain, Enrique Sordo (WS) (1963) Mecca the Blessed Madinah the Radiant, Emel Esin (1963) Athens, Angelo Procopiou (ES) (1964) Constantinople, David Talbot Rice (WS) (1965) Thebes of the Pharaohs, Charles F. Nims (WS) (1965) Isfahan, Pearl of Persia, Wilfrid Blunt (WS) (1966) Lost Cities of Asia, Wim Swaan (1966) Tibet, Land of Snows, Giuseppe Tucci (WS, ES) (1967) Morocco, Rom Landau (WS) (1967) Cities of Mughal India, Gavin Hambly (WS) (1968) Flemish Cities, William Gaunt (WS) (1969) Rome, Stewart Perowne (ES) (1971)

Other books The Medici, Marcel Brion (WS) (1969) Lucknow: the Last Phase of an Oriental Culture, Abdul Halim Sharar (1975) The Hindu Temple, George Michell (1977)

Book series