
Logo of the "Christopher Helm" identification
guide books
'Christopher Alexander Roger Helm' (born
Dundee,
1 February,
1937 -
20 January,
2007) was a
Scottish book publisher, notably of
ornithology related titles, including the
Helm Identification Guides.
Born in
Dundee, he was raised in
Forfar, where his father was a
Presbyterian minister. The family moved to
Tunbridge Wells at the start of the
World War II and he was educated at
Harrow School, then, after active duty in
Cyprus with the
Highland Light Infantry (as
National Service), graduated in classics and law from
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge in
1960.
Having worked for Macmillan, he set up and, in turn, sold each of
Croom Helm,
Christopher Helm Publishers and
Pica Press (both of the later pair being bought by
A & C Black, now part of
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.).
He was an active member of the council of the
British Ornithologists' Union, becoming vice-president in
1995.
In the
1970s, he served as a
Labour councillor in the
London Borough of Wandsworth.
He married twice: in
1967 to Caroline Price, they had two sons, Alexander (who died from
Cystic Fibrosis) and Zebedee; their marriage was dissolved
1976; and in
1979 to Amanda Thomas, with whom he had a daughter Annabel and another son, Tom.
References
★ ''Christopher Alexander Roger Helm (1337-2007)'' (obituary), Nigel Redman in ''
British Birds'', Vol. 100, NO. 4, pp251-2, April 2007
External links
★
Obituary in ''The Independent''
★
Obituary in ''The Guardian''