Jonathan Cape

Jonathan Cape (born November 15, 1879, London, England—died February 10, 1960, London) was a British publisher who in 1921 cofounded (with George Wren Howard) the firm that bears his name; it became one of the outstanding producers of general and high-quality books in the United Kingdom.

At the age of 16 Cape worked as an errand boy for a London bookseller. Later he became a salesman for the New York City publishing firm of Harper and Brothers. In 1904 he began to sell books for Gerald Duckworth Co., becoming sales manager before entering the Royal Army Ordnance Corps during World War I. In 1918 he returned to Duckworth but two years later accepted an offer to manage the Medici Society, makers of coloured art reproductions and occasional publishers of books. In that capacity he met George Wren Howard; the two became friends, decided to set up a business on their own, and on January 1, 1921, opened Jonathan Cape, Publishers. Their first publication was a reissue of C.M. Doughty’s 1888 classic, Travels in Arabia Deserta; the partners persuaded T.E. Lawrence (“Lawrence of Arabia”) to write an introduction to the volume, which helped make it a success.

Cape and Howard employed the critic Edward Garnett as literary adviser; his sound judgment also contributed to their success. Cape visited the United States to look for authors, and eventually the firm published such prominent American writers as Sinclair Lewis, Ernest Hemingway, Eugene O’Neill, and Robert Frost. Among Cape’s English authors were Duff Cooper, Ian Fleming, Wyndham Lewis, and Mary Webb. Also published were the famous “Doctor Dolittle” children’s stories, by Hugh Lofting.