William Alexander Ray Collins, known to all as Billy, was born in 1900. Educated at Harrow and Magdalen College, Oxford, he accepted his destiny and in the 1930s joined the family business, the publishing firm of Collins, which had been established in Glasgow by his ancestor William Collins in 1819. Collins was of course the publisher behind the Crime Club imprint.
‘One’s first impression is that he is very intellectual and possibly inclined to asceticism,’ wrote Peter Cheyney. ‘As usual, one’s first impression is quite wrong. He rides to hounds twice a week, shoots, plays no mean game of tennis, and finds time to talk to verbose people like myself. He directs—with other members of the Collins family—a publishing business which, last year, published an average of two books a day!’
Billy Collins became the company’s Chairman and Managing Director in 1945. His drive and abilities were the stuff of legend and, widely acclaimed as one of the greatest publishers there has ever been, he guided the firm through a period of significant growth, internationally as well as at home. He developed a particularly strong friendship with Agatha Christie, admittedly influenced by her significant value to the company, and was invited to deliver the eulogy at her memorial service in 1976, shortly before his own death. Outside publishing he was a keen ornithologist and cared passionately about wildlife conservation: like the actor David Niven, he accepted an invitation from the naturalist Gerald Durrell to be a trustee of the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust. In recognition of his many achievements, he was awarded many honours and knighted in 1970.
Sir William Collins OBE died on 21 September 1976. ‘The “Eat More Fruit” Murder’ was published by the Sunday Dispatch on 10 April 1938. Despite publishing detective fiction throughout his working life, this story appears to have been Collins’ one and only attempt at writing it …