P. M. Handover

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P. M. Handover

Phyllis Margaret Handover (1923–1974) was an English writer who specialized in typography. She published under the name P. M. Handover. Her obituary described her as a frail‑looking woman with a gentle appearance and a sharp, determined mind.

Education
Handover attended Brentwood High School in Essex and St Anne’s College, Oxford (then called the Society of Oxford Home Students).

Life and work
Early in her career she tried writing fiction, but a publisher’s reader advised her to switch to non‑fiction. She wrote biographies of Lady Arbella Stuart and Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury. Seeking to study history further, she joined The Times as a research assistant to Stanley Morison, who encouraged her to write. Working with Morison sparked her interest in typography, and she produced several scholarly articles. She gave lectures at St Bride Library, and in 1960 published Printing in London: from 1476 to modern times.

Works
- The Site of the Office of the Times: the history from 1276 to 1956 of the site in Blackfriars, including Printing House Square and surrounding streets (Times Publishing Co., 1956)
- Arbella Stuart, royal lady of Hardwick and cousin to King James (1957)
- The Second Cecil: the rise to power, 1563–1604 of Sir Robert Cecil, late first Earl of Salisbury (1959)
- Stanley Morison: a second handlist 1950–1959 (1959)
- Printing in London: from 1476 to modern times: competitive practice and technical invention in the trade of book and Bible printing, periodical production, jobbing, etc. (1960)
- A History of the London Gazette, 1665–1965 (1965)

References
Her obituary appeared in The Times on 24 July 1974.