Robert Hastings, publisher at Black Spring Press, died November 30, the Bookseller reported. He was 52. Hastings founded Black Spring Press in 1985 to "breathe new life into neglected classics." Its first publication was a reprint of Anais Nin's D.H. Lawrence: An Unprofessional Study, and the press subsequently produced work by Julian Mclaren-Ross, Patrick Hamilton, Nick Cave, Charles Baudelaire, Kyril Bonfiglioli, Carolyn Cassady and Leonard Cohen, among others.
"Robert was one of the most charming, well-informed and humorous individuals one could ever hope to encounter," said Marc Glendening, a friend. "He combined having great natural presence with a gentle, modest demeanor. Highly generous in spirit, it was often difficult to persuade him to take money for Black Spring books. It was an honor and pleasure to have known him, albeit only for an all too brief period."