Obits

Caroline Todd, pseudonymous author of mystery novels with her son under the name Charles Todd, died on August 28. She was 86. Todd’s books take place in English villages after World War I. The mother-son team submitted their first book, A TEST OF WILLS, to Ruth Cavin at St. Martin’s Press in 1996. She agreed to publish it, and it sold out its first print run. “Everyone respected that their books weren’t fluff, that they were about real history, about real people in a real time,” mystery writer Rhys Bowen told the NYT. “They were one of the better mystery […]

NPR Books editor Petra Mayer, 46, died suddenly on Saturday at Holy Cross Hospital in Maryland, of what is believed to have been a pulmonary embolism. Described by colleagues as “a proud nerd,” Mayer shared with listeners her love of science fiction, comics and cats. Nancy Barnes, NPR’s senior vice president for news, wrote in an email to staff, “Petra was NPR through and through. To say that Petra will be missed simply seems inadequate.” Novelist Wilbur Smith, 88, died on November 13 in his home in Cape Town, South Africa. The Zambia-born author of 49 novels, his books have […]

Semiotext(e) founder Sylvère Lotringer (83) died on Monday following a long illness. A critic and theorist who was born in Paris and taught French literature and philosophy at Columbia for 35 years, he began Semiotext(e) in 1974 as a scholarly journal. As an independent publisher, it is known for introducing French theory to American readers.

Victress Literary founder Shannon Orso, 41, died on September 25. Senior agent Lizz Nagle wrote, “She was our fierce defender, our best friend, our neon light. Victress exists because of her vision. It grew because of her heart.”

Former marketing and publicity specialist John Hitchin, 88, who spent three decades at Penguin Books, has died.

Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator Jerry Pinkney, 81, died on Wednesday of a brief non-Covid related illness. He was the illustrator of more than 100 books and received a Caldecott Honor five times, as well as the Caldecott Medal in 2010 for The Lion and the Mouse. “Jerry’s indefatigable attention to, and love of his craft was unmatched, and he never stopped asking for his work to be pushed and challenged,” said Megan Tingley, executive vice president and publisher at his publisher, Little Brown Children’s. “Everyone he worked with was touched by his infectious delight in the act of creation, which never […]