Thomas Peter Usborne, (born 1937) is a British

publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

. In the early 1960s, Usborne co-founded the satirical magazine ''

Private Eye ''Private Eye'' is a British fortnightly satirical and current affairs news magazine, founded in 1961. It is published in London and has been edited by Ian Hislop since 1986. The publication is widely recognised for its prominent critici ...

''. In 1973 he founded the children's book publisher

Usborne Publishing Usborne Publishing, often called Usborne Books, is a British publisher of children's books. Founded by Peter Usborne in 1973, Usborne Publishing uses an in-house team of writers, editors and designers. One of its sales channels is Usborne Books ...

. He studied at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

and

INSEAD INSEAD, a contraction of "Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires" () is a non-profit business school that maintains campuses in Europe (Fontainebleau, France), Asia (Singapore), the Middle East (Abu Dhabi, UAE), and North America (San ...

business school in France. Peter Usborne, founder and MD of Usborne, started working in children's books when he found out he was going to become a parent. Soon after, in 1973, he revolutionized the world of publishing for children by setting up his own company and pioneering a new generation of engaging, innovative, illustrated books for children, which combined popular subject matter with unrivalled quality in editorial and production. Fifty years on, Peter still claims that parenthood has been the greatest privilege of his life, and that publishing children's books has been an extension of that. Now in his eighties, Peter still looks forward to coming to work every morning, and his roles as publisher and parent have never been more intertwined, as he now runs Usborne alongside his daughter Nicola Usborne, who is deputy MD. Peter's son, Martin Usborne, runs his own publishing company: Hoxton Mini Press. The three Usbornes – Peter, Nicola and Martin – together run The Usborne Foundation, a charity founded by the Usborne family which harnesses research, design and technology to create playful media addressing issues from literacy to health. Teach Your Monster to Read is a series of games that's helped millions of children learn to read, funded by The Usborne Foundation. His eponymous publishing company was named Children's Publisher of the Year at the British Book Awards in both 2012 and 2020, Independent Publisher of the Year at the Independent Publishing Awards in 2014, and Private Business of the Year in 2015. Peter_Usborne_©_Copyright_2015_sburdenphoto

Peter_Usborne_©_Copyright_2015_sburdenphoto

Peter Usborne with HRH Duchess of Cornwall

Usborne's best-known booksinclude the

Usborne Puzzle Adventure series The ''Puzzle Adventure'' book series from Usborne Publishing Usborne Publishing, often called Usborne Books, is a British publisher of children's books. Founded by Peter Usborne in 1973, Usborne Publishing uses an in-house team of writers, ed ...

(featuring Agent Arthur), the World of the Unknown series, the Book of the Future, Poppy and Sam's Farmyard Tales, Sticker Dolly Dressing and the THAT'S NOT MY® series of touchy-feely board books for babies by

Fiona Watt (author) Fiona Watt is a British children's author who has written over 100 books. She is best known for her '' That's Not My...'' series. From 2000 to 2009, she sold 2,431,376 copies in the UK, with a value of £14.1 million. Watt has a bachelor's degree ...

. Usborne was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) in 2011 for services to the publishing industry and

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(CBE) in the

2022 New Year Honours The 2022 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrations ...

for services to literature. He was awarded the London Book Fair Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Usborne, Peter Living people 1937 births British publishers (people) Alumni of the University of Oxford Commanders of the Order of the British Empire