Anthea Joseph

Joseph was born in London. Her parents were Susan and Charles Hodson, Baron Hodson. During the war she was employed at the American Embassy. She married the recently widowed publisher Michael Joseph in 1946 who had been her employer. For eight years she was mother to his four children and two of their own until her husband died.[1]

Joseph started to run the publishing business although her primary interest was not profit. She wanted to publish books even those that might not be financially profitable.[1] It was Joseph who phoned the vet Alfred Wight to tell him that they would publish his books. Wight was not allowed to use his name and chose the name, James Herriot, for his popular books.[2] Authors that were also popular were Miss Read,[3] James Baldwin, Stan Barstow, H. E. Bates, Dick Francis, Barry Hines, Julian Rathbone and Alun Richards. Joseph made sure that profits were set aside for other authors.[1]

In 1962, Anthea Joseph became deputy chairman of the publishing business. She re-married the following year and had another daughter. Her new husband was Macdonald Hastings and her step-children now included Max Hastings. She became chairman in 1978 of Michael Joseph Ltd.[1]

Joseph died on 23 January 1981 of cancer at Brown's Farm in Old Basing.[1]