Peter Baker (British Politician) - Post War

Post War

As early as 1940 Baker had found himself in charge of editing a broadsheet of poems, including some he had himself written. The collection was known as the "Resurgam Poets". Baker later adopted the pseudonym 'Colin Strang' to edit two anthologies and write poetry reviews for newspapers and magazines, until he was posted to Africa. In early 1944, while he was back in Britain, Baker's poem sequence "The Land of Prester John" was published, to what he thought was a poor critical reception.

After the war Baker became a publisher with financial backing from his father; the company he founded, Falcon Press, was named after the armoured car which Baker had used during the war. As wartime paper rationing was continuing and Falcon Press was a newcomer without a large quota, he printed books in several foreign countries instead. The business was initially successful, enabling Baker to build up a "minor business empire" including four publishing companies, printing works, a wine merchants and a whisky distillery, aircraft research company, and a property business. Muriel Spark worked for Falcon Press from 1951.

When Falcon Press ran into debt, Baker and Robert Maxwell (then making his name as a leading British publisher) planned to merge their respective publishing businesses; however the plans fell through. Maxwell eventually bought the British Book Centre in New York from Baker in 1952. In July 1954, Baker's businesses had collapsed, with Falcon Press having a total debt of £290,823.

He was a frequent visitor at the "Thursday Club", a raffish luncheon club located in Old Compton Street, London; other members included the actors James Robertson Justice and Peter Ustinov, the future Duke of Edinburgh, and the intelligence officer Kim Philby.