Robert Harling (typographer)

Robert Henry Harling (27 March 1910 in London – 1 July 2008 in Godstone, Surrey) was a British typographer, designer, journalist and novelist who lived to the age of 98.

After her marriage they moved to Brighton, bringing him in contact with the Royal Pavilion, and a lifelong appreciation for architecture and design, and the Sea, where he learnt to swim and sail.

Two six-month stints followed at two of the best printers in the country, Lund Humphries at Bradford (for whom he mounted an exhibition on Rudolf Koch in 1935) and the Kynoch Press at Birmingham, "trying – not all that successfully – to learn more about the technical side of printing".

Fleming, was serving in Naval Intelligence, and had heard about Harling's editorship of the Typography journal, which was setting new standards for the design and display of printed matter.

During their meeting he learned that Harling was also writer and designer of "News-Reel Maps" for the News Chronicle, and "demi-semi-resident art director" of Lord Delamere's up-and-coming advertising agency.

Landing soon after D-Day, he pursued the task assigned to the unit to pick up enemy code-books, security documents and wireless equipment through fierce fighting round Cherbourg, and on into France.

Cautious, eventually cordial relations with American forces brought a memorable meeting with General George Patton, which was followed by a lightning dash across Germany to Magdeburg to round up German scientists.

Harling now turned his hand to writing a number of popular 'pulp fiction' titles including: The Paper Palace (1951), The Dark Saviour (1952), The Enormous Shadow (1955), The Endless Colonnade (1958), The Hollow Sunday (1967), The Athenian Widow (1974) and finally The Summer Portrait (1979).

With his dedicated and happy crew he revitalised House & Garden, and produced a Magazine in Britain which would contrast the ancient and modern, colour and simplicity.

Harling would admit that some of the fun of life diminished following the death of his friend Fleming in 1964, but he remained alert and active, and could still be found at The Sunday Times late on Saturday evenings until 1985.

They had two sons and a daughter, and set up home at an old house in Suffolk, before moving to an 18th-century Gothic vicarage on the Kent-Sussex border in 1953, which was made more picturesque by the removal of a later top floor.