David Whitaker funeral

The funeral of David Whitaker, a former editor of The Bookseller, will take place on 17th September at St Paul's Church in Covent Garden.

It will begin at 11 a.m. and continue afterwards at the Garrick Club. His widow, Maggie Van Reenen, said black ties are not necessary but colourful stripes or bow ties are welcome. She has asked for donations in his memory to be made to the The Book Trade Charity instead of flowers. Anyone who plans to go to the club should let her know beforehand via email (maggievanreenen@btinternet.com).

Whitaker died peacefully in his sleep overnight on 4th August. He edited The Bookseller for three years from 1977 to 1979, although his principal contribution to the book trade came via Whitaker Publishing, the business that owned The Bookseller until its sale to VNU in 1999. Whitaker was proprietor, managing director and then chair of the business, until he retired in 1997.

Whitaker helped establish the ISBN, then known as Standard Book Numbering (SBN), and contributed to the creation of the TeleOrdering system used extensively by booksellers in the 1980s and 90s. Under his leadership, The Bookseller also campaigned to keep VAT off books and gave sustained support for the Public Lending Right. As editor, he also introduced a policy of promoting women in the trade, through the way the magazine handled and commissioned stories.