Desmond Elliott

Desmond Elliott (1930 – 2003) was a distinguished publisher and literary agent. Having started his career at the publishing house Macmillan, he later went on to found his own publishing company, Arlington Books. In a career of over almost 60 years he was responsible for discovering a number of writers who went on to be bestsellers, including Penny Vincenzi and Jilly Cooper.

Desmond Elliott was born in London on Christmas Eve 1929. At the age of 10 he was placed in the Royal Masonic Orphanage in Dublin, Ireland following the death of his father. He had the benefit of a good education and he won a scholarship to Trinity College, Dublin. However, he decided to travel to England in 1947 at the age of 16 with just £2 and a letter of introduction from the editor of The Irish Times.

Desmond Elliott first worked as an office boy for Macmillan Publishers, before joining Hutchinson (publisher) and then Michael Joseph (publisher). After being fired by Max Reinhardt (publisher) he received £1,000 compensation and a job offer from Sidney Bernstein, of ITV Granada – who then had second thoughts. Using the remainder of his compensation, he set up as an independent agent in 1960 and founded Arlington books.

His dedication and business sense made Elliott one of the most successful men in his field and was key to the creation of a list of hugely successful blockbuster novelists;Candida Lycett Green, Penny Vincenzi and Lynda Lee-Potter, to name but a few. He also introduced Tim Rice to Andrew Lloyd Webber as an early client. Respected and loved by his authors, in the words of Candida Lycett Green, Elliott was simply "magic".

Desmond Elliott lived his life with verve, drinking only champagne, treating Fortnum & Mason as his local “cornershop” and only ever crossing the Atlantic on Concorde. His office was in Mayfair and he had houses in St James’s and on Park Avenue.

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