George Weidenfeld’s death marks the end of a publishing era

The co-founder and chairman of Weidenfeld & Nicolson, who died this week, had unique status as both brand and editor

Last year, Lord Weidenfeld joined his Hachette colleagues in moving to a shiny new HQ overlooking the Thames. Still regularly putting in office shifts, the nonagenarian co-founder and chairman of Weidenfeld & Nicolson was awarded a single privilege: he had the sole enclosed office in an open-plan setup, nicely symbolising his one-of-a-kind status as both brand and editor, a publisher continuing (though part of a multi-division behemoth like Hachette) to head the list he had established.

Weidenfeld was then the last man standing out of a group of Hitler refugees, also including André Deutsch, Paul Hamlyn and Tom Maschler, who came to Britain in the 30s and became publishers after the war. Among their rivals in late 40s and 50s London were the children or grandchildren of fugitives from earlier tyrannies, such as Victor Gollancz, Fredric Warburg (of Secker & Warburg) and Manya Harari (co-founder of Harvill), as well as the present incumbents at long-established British family firms.

Related: Publishing giant George Weidenfeld dies aged 96

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