Tim Waterstone facts for kids

Sir Tim Waterstone (born May 30, 1939) is a British businessman, author, and bookseller. He is best known for starting Waterstones, a very large chain of bookstores in the United Kingdom. Waterstones is actually the biggest bookseller chain in Europe!

Early Life and Education

Tim Waterstone was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on May 30, 1939. His father, Malcolm Stuart Waterstone, worked for a tea company. Tim grew up in a town called Crowborough in East Sussex, England.

He went to Tonbridge School and then studied English at St Catharine's College, Cambridge University.

Building a Book Empire

Before starting his own business, Tim Waterstone worked in different jobs. He worked for a company in Calcutta, India, and later as a marketing manager for large companies like Allied Breweries and W.H. Smith in England.

In 1982, Tim Waterstone decided to create his own bookstore chain. He used money he received when leaving W.H. Smith to open the first Waterstone's store. This first store was in Old Brompton Road in Kensington, West London.

His idea was to create bookstores that had lots of books and were run by staff who loved reading and knew a lot about books. This plan worked very well! By 1992, just ten years later, Waterstone's had become the largest group of bookstores in Europe.

Later, he became the first chairman of HMV Media Group in 1998, which brought Waterstone's and HMV (a music and film store) together. He left this group in 2001.

Tim Waterstone also helped start Bookberry, a bookstore chain in Moscow, Russia, which was inspired by Waterstone's. In 2013, he became the chairman of Read Petite, a company that sells e-books.

Author and Speaker

Besides being a successful businessman, Tim Waterstone is also an author. He has written four novels:

• Lilley & Chase (1994)
• An Imperfect Marriage (1995)
• A Passage of Lives (1996)
• In For A Penny In For A Pound (2010)

He also wrote a short story called The Tiffany Glass Panel. In 2006, he published a business book about his experiences called Swimming Against The Stream. His memoir, The Face Pressed Against A Window, which tells his life story, came out in 2019. He even narrated the audiobook himself!

In 2019, he was a guest on the BBC Radio show Desert Island Discs, where famous people talk about their lives and choose music they would take to a desert island.

Helping Others and Public Service

Tim Waterstone has been involved with many different organizations, helping out in various ways. He has served on the boards of:

• The London Philharmonic Orchestra
• The Academy of Ancient Music
• The British Library
• Yale University Press

He also helped with the Booker Prize, which is a famous award for novels. He was the chairman of judges for the Prince's Youth Business Trust Awards, which helps young people start businesses. He also chaired an appeal for Shelter, a charity that helps people with housing problems.

From 2007 to 2015, he was the Chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University. This is a special role, like being the head of the university.

Tim Waterstone is also interested in politics and supports the Labour Party in the UK. He was against the Iraq War and took part in protests against it. He believes that political parties on the left should work together more closely. He also thinks that the House of Lords, which is part of the UK Parliament, should have its members chosen in a fairer way, based on how people vote in general elections.

Personal Life

Tim Waterstone is married to Rosie Alison, who is a TV and film producer and a novelist. He has eight children, and one of them is the actress Daisy Waterstone. He lives in Holland Park, London.

He is an Honorary Fellow of St Catharine's College, Cambridge, which means the college has given him a special honor. In 2018, he was made a Knight by the Queen. This means he can use the title "Sir" because of his great work in bookselling and for charity.