Reginald Ashley Caton (1897–1971) was an English publisher. He appears as a literary character, especially in novels by

Kingsley Amis Sir Kingsley William Amis (16 April 1922 – 22 October 1995) was an English novelist, poet, critic, and teacher. He wrote more than 20 novels, six volumes of poetry, a memoir, short stories, radio and television scripts, and works of social and ...

. In 1924 he founded the Fortune Press in London, initially as a

small press A small press is a publisher with annual sales below a certain level or below a certain number of titles published. The terms "indie publisher" and "independent press" and others are sometimes used interchangeably. Independent press is general ...

specialising in gay

erotica Erotica is literature or art that deals substantively with subject matter that is erotic, sexually stimulating or sexually arousing. Some critics regard pornography as a type of erotica, but many consider it to be different. Erotic art may use a ...

. Such was his admiration for the

Nonesuch Press Nonesuch Press was a private press founded in 1922 in London by Francis Meynell, his second wife Vera Mendel, and their mutual friend David Garnett,Miranda Knorr"The Nonesuch Press: A Product of Determination" An Exhibit of Rare Books at the Ok ...

’s 1924 translation of

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institutio ...

’s ''

Symposium In ancient Greece, the symposium ( grc-gre, συμπόσιον ''symposion'' or ''symposio'', from συμπίνειν ''sympinein'', "to drink together") was a part of a banquet that took place after the meal, when drinking for pleasure was acc ...

'', however, that he published an almost exact copy of it. Nonesuch immediately threatened legal action, calling Caton and the Fortune Press “thieves and pirates”."Model Publisher or Pirate? R. A. Caton and the Fortune Press", by Chrissy Williams, 29 November 2010, at handandstar.co.uk
/ref> In 1934 Caton was prosecuted for

obscene libel The publication of an obscene libel was an offence under the common law of England. Prior to the abolition bsection 1of the Criminal Law Act 1967 of the distinction between felony and misdemeanour, it was regarded as a misdemeanour. It has been abo ...

, found guilty and ordered to pulp the offending books, although these editions could still be found on sale in the 1970s. Some of his titles have been described as mild homosexual porn and even "rank sodomy". It has even been suggested that Fortune Press was the closest thing that Britain had to a gay publishing house, until the establishment of the

Gay Men's Press Gay Men's Press was a publisher of books based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1979, the imprint was run until 2000 by its founders, then until 2006 by Millivres Prowler. Overview Launched in 1979 by Aubrey Walter, David Fernbach, and Ric ...

in the 1970s. But the main result of the obscenity trial was a swift shift in focus from porn to poetry. Caton himself referred to the trial as "no joke". In the end, according to the standard

bibliography Bibliography (from and ), as a discipline, is traditionally the academic study of books as physical, cultural objects; in this sense, it is also known as bibliology (from ). English author and bibliographer John Carter describes ''bibliography ...

, Caton had published 600 books, from his publishing office at 21 Belgrave Road in London, perhaps outgrowing the adjective 'small'. Many of these are of

literary Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to includ ...

interest, produced by the circumstance that paper was in short supply as soon as

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

started; and Fortune Press had hoarded stocks. Much of the regular magazine publishing of

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings ...

, in particular, had to shut down. Caton is celebrated for obtaining the rights to

Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems " Do not go gentle into that good night" and " And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Unde ...

's ''18 Poems'', which he published in 1934, with repercussions for the poet. During the war years he first rejected

Philip Larkin Philip Arthur Larkin (9 August 1922 – 2 December 1985) was an English poet, novelist, and librarian. His first book of poetry, ''The North Ship'', was published in 1945, followed by two novels, ''Jill'' (1946) and ''A Girl in Winter'' (1947 ...

's first novel '' Jill'' (for obscenity), but finally published it in 1946, as he did his poetry collection, ''The North Ship''. No manuscript version of ''Jill'' has survived."PHILIP LARKIN AND THE CASE OF THE MISSING MANUSCRIPT" by Dr Rebecca Johnson, March 1998, at hull.ac.uk
/ref> Caton also published, for example,

Nicholas Moore Nicholas Moore (16 November 1918 – 26 January 1986) was an English poet, associated with the New Apocalyptics in the 1940s, whose reputation stood as high as Dylan Thomas’s. He later dropped out of the literary world. Biography Moore wa ...

, and Wrenne Jarman. Experts have concluded that there was no literary, rather than business, consistency. In 1951 he published

Bryan Magee Bryan Edgar Magee (; 12 April 1930 – 26 July 2019) was a British philosopher, broadcaster, politician and author, best known for bringing philosophy to a popular audience. Early life Born of working-class parents in Hoxton, London, in 1930, ...

's first book, an anthology of poems entitled ''Crucifixion and Other Poems''. The Fortune Press was sold to Leonard Holdsworth, of The Charles Skilton Publishing Group.

References

*''R. A. Caton and the Fortune Press. A Memoir and a Hand-List'' (1983) Timothy D'Arch Smith {{DEFAULTSORT:Caton British book publishers (people) 1897 births 1971 deaths