Obits

Melville House senior publicist Gregory Henry, 48, passed away unexpectedly on September 17. Before joining Melville House, Henry had worked at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Reagan Arts, and Harper Collins, as well as at Rare Bird, Apollo Publishers and Center Street. Melville House publisher Dennis Johnson wrote: “We’re still in a state of shock. We’d been trying to get Gregory to come work for us for years, and he finally joined us six months ago. I think the astonishing, industry-wide outpouring of grief and affection for him that we’re seeing on social media gives you some sense of how talented a […]

Former Sierra Club Books editor-in-chief Daniel Moses, 85, died on September 12. In a 35-year publishing career, he held positions at Prentice Hall, Simon & Schuster, and as editor-in-chief at Links Books and at Bobbs-Merrill. He founded and directed Earth Island Books at Earth Island Institute, where he published The Case Against “Free Trade,” which included essays by Ralph Nader, Lori Wallach, Jerry Brown, Margaret Atwood, Wendell Berry, and Vandana Shiva.

Adams Media editor Peter Archer died unexpectedly at home last week. He joined Adams in 2007 after teaching college history and working at Dungeons & Dragons publisher TSR, and worked extensively on Adams’s role-playing game books and other titles. VP publisher Karen Cooper said, “It’s difficult to imagine a more gentle-hearted, learned, or humble man than Peter Archer. Peter brought a lifetime—and a vast range—of knowledge to his position as development editor. His mastery of history, religion, and politics was matched only by his passion for Scottish knitting, the Beatles, and all things RPG. Peter would be the first to share […]

Former academic publisher Michael Holdsworth, 73, died September 9 of a heart attack while vacationing in France. Cambridge University Press, where he worked until 2006, called him, “Arguably the strongest publishing presence in the entire organization with a well-justified reputation as one of the most original, thoughtful and clear-sighted non-fiction book publishers in the world.” In addition to his accomplishments as a publisher, Holdsworth was a pioneer in converting much of CUP’s backlist to print on demand in the early days of the technology.

Penguin Random House vp, backlist sales Candice Chaplin, 53, died on Wednesday. She had cancer. In a statement, Penguin Random House said, “As VP, Director, Backlist Sales, her storied career with Penguin Random House was not only marked by her leadership and fierce sense of what was required for success but her unwavering friendship and incredible sense of humor. In many ways, she was the heart and soul of the Sales department. Our thoughts are with Candice’s loving family, and our colleagues, who will miss her deeply.”

Longtime president of Thames & Hudson for over 30 years before his retirement in 2010 — and author of books including Lifestyle and The Mole — Peter Warner, 79, died on September 9 from complications due to MDS (myelodysplastic syndrome).  The family asks that in lieu of flowers or gifts, please honor him with donations to the foundation: www.mds-foundation.org/donate. A memorial service will be held at a later date, to be announced.