In 1970, the industrial journalist John Bishop, who has died aged 69, founded Thames Publishing - initially to publish the music of his wife, Betty Roe. Under his guidance, the firm's output expanded to include a wide range of the work of British composers, particularly in the field of 20th-century vocal music.
There was a comprehensive series of the songs of Frank Bridge, John Ireland and Peter Warlock; lesser-known composers deserving recognition included Dennis Browne and Robin Milford, and there were anthologies, such as the ongoing series, A Century Of English Song, published in collaboration with the Association of English Singers and Speakers.
John was also convinced there was an appetite for books about British music and musicians, too small to interest established book publishers, but large enough for a smaller company. Today, Thames has a catalogue of 74 titles, with many more waiting in the wings. He was brilliant at spotting gaps, finding the right authors to fill them, and producing increasingly attractive books, most of them being the only substantial sources of information on their subjects.
In 1971, John founded Autolycus Press as an outlet for poetry. He had already compiled, and had published by John Baker, three anthologies, reflecting his particular enthusiasms, Wise, Wanton, Womanly (1967), Music And Sweet Poetry (1968), and London Between The Lines (1973). He had a flair for finding good material. An early Autolycus publication was a slim volume of his own poems, I From My Small Corner, which graphically, and often touchingly, evoked such topics as the anxieties of adolescence, or London life in the 1960s and 1970s.
John was born at Norbury, south London, the son of a tax inspector father and a creditable amateur pianist mother. He attended Whitgift middle school, Croydon, leaving in 1947 after one year in the sixth form, where his subjects - English and economics - were to prove valuable. He also took part in revues with the Mitre Players, and there met his future wife, then a young cellist and composer. John wrote very good revue songs, but gave up on seeing his wife's natural grasp of the medium.
On leaving school, he joined the Shell oil company, working first on the company's international magazine, then as founding editor of its London staff newspaper, and in the employee information division. In 1973, he moved to Pearl Assurance as founding editor of its house journal, and later manager of the company information unit.
He also freelanced, editing the Duke of Edinburgh's Award journal, Sir Robert Mayer's Youth And Music magazine, and the London Philharmonic Choir's newsletter. In the early 1970s, he wrote sleeve-notes, and was responsible for the design and production of sleeves and advertising for Unicorn Records. He lectured and broadcast on the BBC World Service, particularly on musical, literary and dramatic subjects; edited the Peter Warlock Society's newsletter; and, for three years, chaired the Kensington Music Society.
John took early retirement from Pearl in 1988. He believed that music was for the people, and worked with amateur choirs, churches, community groups and children, most of which performed works written by his wife. He had an unerring knack of knowing what would work in any sort of presentation, on a printed page or on a theatre stage.
He was surprised to learn that his family thought him eccentric for such habits as finding hats - and, on one occasion, a tea-cosy - and wearing them all day at home. He had a slow, dry sense of humour, described himself as "a god-fearing atheist", had no politics and was besotted with cats, finding them much more acceptable than human beings. He was perhaps too ready to undertake tasks for other people - whatever commitments he had.
John was writing poetry right up until his death, much of it reflecting his feelings on being gravely ill, some of it unbearably moving. He is survived by Betty, his twin daughters, Lesley and Susan (both professional musicians), and his son,Simon.
• John Bishop, publisher, born June 4 1931; died September 5 2000.
