Obituaries and Tributes

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 Co-founder of Lion, whose grasp of global publishing was probably unrivalled

A story of faith, risk and 200 languages

Lion Publishing broke new ground. It was the first Christian publisher to produce books primarily for the general market. While the 1970s saw the opening of many Christian bookshops across the UK, these were not the main ones in Lion’s sights. Tony Wales, who died last month,  was co-founder of Lion with David and Pat Alexander, and they steered a ship which never lost its bearings. Lion’s market was the High Street; its intended reader was outside the church. Its books would be well-designed, accessible, and jargon-free.

Global reach

Colour printing was still new, and expensive, but Lion had spiritual genius. It would create pages in such a way that text in other languages to be dropped into the same design. This would enable books to have a far wider reach. Tony’s role from 1973 was Lion International Director. His team began to grow from 1979, and eventually the books would go into 200 languages.

The first major Lion project was the Lion Handbook to the Bible (1973). When US Publisher Bill Eerdmans saw its page proofs at the Frankfurt Book Fair, he ordered 50,000 copies on the strength of a handshake. The Handbook has now sold over three million copies, in 30 languages.

The Lion Children's Bible went into some 40 languages. This included Mongolian (1997). The first church in Mongolia was planted in 1991, so this book became widely-used by Christian families, and introduced Bible knowledge into thousands of homes. Within weeks of its launch, a letter from Ulan Bator declared it the best-selling book in the country, saying children were pleading with their parents to buy it.

Anthony Paul Wales was born to missionary parents in the Belgian Congo in 1944. The family returned to the UK when he was ten. Straight from school he began a career in publishing. Aged 22 he was appointed Production Manager at IVP, then spent three years as an IVF (now UCCF) Travelling Secretary, working with Art College students. While running a bookstall at a student conference he met Sue Lightfoot, a teacher in training from St Martin’s College, Lancaster, who would later become a researcher and lecturer in archaeology. They married in 1972. 

Lion worked with publishers from all Christian traditions to reach the widest possible readership. Titles have been translated into a total of some 200 languages, an A-Z from Adygei to Zulu. Lion became an affiliated member of the Publishers’ Association, the only Christian publisher to join this group; and Tony served on its International Committee for several years, participating in trade delegations to China and India with the chairs of Macmillan and Penguin. He travelled widely in North America, the Commonwealth, South Asia and the Asia Pacific Rim — and visited the Leipzig and Warsaw book fairs ten years before the collapse of Communism. Lion opened its own office in the US, and Tony remained closely involved with the US market, as with the Asian market.

Tony served as Lion International Director until he retired in 2008. His easy manner, ready humour, and modest demeanour won him friends, and built trust as he visited countries. He himself read widely: biography, modern history, art, recommending his favourite books. 

In the 1980s, when Tony and Sue lived in West London, they became part of the International Presbyterian Church, founded by L’Abri, where Tony served as an elder for several years before moving to the Oxford area in 1991.

Tony’s early training in book production was invaluable, as he could advise small publishers in tough contexts, whether publishing for limited markets, or in countries with a soft currency and low GDP. He continued to help emerging publishers in retirement through Media Associates International, and led by example in raising money for scholarships to enable more people to take part on training conferences. As well as ironing neighbours’ clothes, he and two friends walked 100 miles from Greenwich to Oxford. (‘Three men in their boots’!)  He served on the MAI European board for six years, and contributed to training materials. He was especially concerned that emerging publishers grasp the principles of financial stability, writing a piece on Profit & Purpose: A Global Publisher’s Guide for Financial Sustainability. His accrued knowledge and experience of worldwide publishing was perhaps unrivalled.

We thank God for Tony’s global influence. He will surely ‘shine like a star, as one who has led many to righteousness’ (Daniel 12:3).

This is based on the tribute which appeared in Christian Today. Tony, who lived near Oxford,  was a friend and encourager to Julia Cameron in the early days of Dictum Press.