1. References

2. External links

Don Short (b. London 1932) is a writer, and former journalist and literary agent.

Short began his career as a junior reporter at the Staines and Egham News in 1947 after leaving Chiswick Polytechnic. He served his National Service with the RAF and was posted to Nairobi. He launched a magazine and moonlighted as a sports reporter with the East African Standard. After his return to London, he worked briefly at the Richmond and Twickenham Times before being appointed district reporter in Cirencester for the regional evening title the Gloucestershire Echo.

In 1958 he moved to Fleet Street as a general news reporter with the Daily Sketch and two years later he joined the Daily Mirror. He was Chief Showbusiness correspondent^[1] and was given the showbusiness column after several world scoops, including the story of Elizabeth Taylor’s marriage to Richard Burton, the drowning of Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones and the breakup of The Beatles. He is credited with coining the term Beatlemania ^[2]. He toured many parts of the world with The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. He ghosted several best selling books including those of Swedish actress Britt Ekland, Peter Sellers, Lady Norah Docker, and an authorised biography of Engelbert Humperdinck. He left the Daily Mirror in 1974.

He teamed up with photographers Joe Bangay and Terry Fincher and their features went out to newspapers and magazines across the world.

He set up his own literary agency called Solo Literary Agency Ltd in 1978, which was soon recognised as one of the world’s leading agencies, and took over syndication for The Sun newspaper before moving on to the global market with stories and photos appearing in the Daily Mail, the Mail on Sunday and the Evening Standard. It also acted for Rupert Murdoch’s Australian newspaper group and several American agencies. He was a literary agent for Fred Perry, singer Val Doonican, cricketer Mike Gatting, snooker player Jimmy White and Joe Collins, father of Joan Collins.

Short extended his Agency’s work by publishing the memoirs of Sir Fred Pontin and for the Daily Mail he published books in tribute to two Fleet Street stars Sir John Juror and the famed cartoonist ‘Jak’ and a book and audio package celebrating the silver wedding of the Queen and Prince Philip. He also acted as co-producer of a film on the South African athlete Zola Budd which was given a West End premiere and a televised documentary on a South African grandmother who turned surrogate mother for her daughter.

Short retired in December 1998 after merging Solo with an American newspaper group. The Agency was later acquired by Associated Newspapers.

Short appeared on ITV’s ‘The Nation’s Favourite Beatles Number One’^[3] documentary, which aired on ITV on 11th November 2015.

References

External links

• Route 75 (Israel)
• Route 75 (Maryland)
• Route 75 (West Virginia)
• Route 760
• Route 76 (disambiguation)
• Route 76 (Illinois)
• Route 76 (Maryland)
• Route 76 (New York)
• Route 76 (West Virginia)
• Route 772 (Washington Metro)
• Route 776
• Route 77A (New York)
• Route 77 (disambiguation)
• Route 77 (Illinois)
• Route 77 (Israel)
• Route 77 (Maryland)
• Route 77 (MTA Maryland)
• Route 77 (New York)
• Route 77 (SEPTA)
• Route 781
• Route 781 (Maryland)
• Route 787
• Route 787 (New York)
• Route 78A (New York)
• Route 78 (Illinois)