Tom Kremer, founder of Notting Hill Editions and the Essay Prize, died June 24, the Bookseller reported. He was 87. Kremer launched Notting Hill Editions at the age of 80 "to revive the lost art of the essay. His passion for the form, an essayist himself, author to The Missing Heart of Europe (June Press), has led to publication of more than 50 titles."
A spokesperson for the publisher said: "His energy, charisma, and determination to succeed inspired all of us at Notting Hill Editions, and he will be sorely missed."
In an interview published by the Bookseller just last week, Kremer said, "Everybody else forgot about the essay because you couldn't make money out of it anymore. We not only wanted to bring back the essay, we wanted for it to be a commercial reality. These remarkable things [essays] won't exist and won't be published if you are not around.... Our basic idea is that what is being communicated should be simple, original, profoundly interesting--and that you don't need 800 pages."