Thames & Hudson Asia's former chairman and APS founder Edward Summerson dies, aged 75

Edward Summerson, founder of Asia Publishers Services and former chairman of Thames & Hudson Asia, has died at the age of 75.

Summerson died on 10th February 2022, Thames & Hudson announced this week.

Christian Frederking, Thames & Hudson’s sales director, said: "Edward’s passion for visual books was limitless and so were his tireless efforts to build pathways into the Greater China market. He was also a true connoisseur of Asian culture and thus a fantastic source of wisdom. He will be truly missed."

Born in London in 1946, Summerson became a key figure in the development of the illustrated publishing business, settling in Hong Kong in 1976.  

He began his career working for Pitman with Rupert Li of Swindon Booksellers before founding Asia Publishers Services (APS) in 1987 as a sales agent for English-language publishers in Hong Kong. 

Summerson was subsequently joined at APS by his former Pitman colleague Ian Pringle, who went on to start APD Singapore as a sister company to APS. 

Developing and offering distribution services from a Hong Kong-based warehouse and extending the territories where the business operated, APS eventually pioneered the sale of English language illustrated titles in China. 

Thames & Hudson acquired the company in 2017 and Summerson took the role of chairman in 2018.