Martin Miller (1946 - 2013)
London West, UK -
In 1979 Martin Miller, with his second wife Judith, was the founder of Miller's Antiques Price Guide which, in the early 1980s, also included architectural antiques and garden ornament, initially based on the prices of Walcot Reclamation in Bath which used to publish an annually updated price guide used by many in the trade. He then opened a string of Miller's hotels decorated eclectically with antiques in Kent, Somerset, Herefordshire and Westbourne Grove, and started Martin Miller's Gin, published antiques books, was involved with a pizza company and a travel website.
He published Miller's Collectables Price Guide (with Judith Miller, annually, 1989-98), the Antiques Source Book (annually, 2000-06), and The Complete Guide to Antiques (2003) as well as others. He also published a volume of poems, Disjointed Noughts (2006) and a novel, The Wookey Hole Affair (2007). His final project was an art and sculpture gallery at Great Brampton House hotel named Down Stairs which, although giving a platform for new works by upcoming artists, also included the likes of Gavin Turk, as well as Miller himself in Just An Idea (2012), described as 'Happily straddling the line between stupid and clever, Miller's work attests to his delight in working with wit, sarcasm and wordplay, offering a poignant reminder that there is no such thing as 'no laughing matter'.
Born in Worthing, son of an insurance salesman, Miller's first venture into publishing was Success With The Fairer Sex, a guide to dating written when he was 14 and had never had a girlfriend, of which he sold 50 copies a week through Exchange & Mart. He once said, "I've never had a job or wanted one, and if I don't like something I'm doing or it becomes boring I just dump it. I think it's in the genes. I'm not a worrier and I never try too hard. I suppose I'm just lucky."
Martin Miller's first marriage, in 1966, to Elaine, was dissolved in 1975. His second, in 1978, ended in 1992. He married, thirdly, in 2001, Ioana Beju. She survives him with the three daughters of his first marriage and two of his second.
Martin Miller, born 24 November 1946, died 24 December 2013.
Daily Telegraph: Martin Miller - obituary
He published Miller's Collectables Price Guide (with Judith Miller, annually, 1989-98), the Antiques Source Book (annually, 2000-06), and The Complete Guide to Antiques (2003) as well as others. He also published a volume of poems, Disjointed Noughts (2006) and a novel, The Wookey Hole Affair (2007). His final project was an art and sculpture gallery at Great Brampton House hotel named Down Stairs which, although giving a platform for new works by upcoming artists, also included the likes of Gavin Turk, as well as Miller himself in Just An Idea (2012), described as 'Happily straddling the line between stupid and clever, Miller's work attests to his delight in working with wit, sarcasm and wordplay, offering a poignant reminder that there is no such thing as 'no laughing matter'.
Born in Worthing, son of an insurance salesman, Miller's first venture into publishing was Success With The Fairer Sex, a guide to dating written when he was 14 and had never had a girlfriend, of which he sold 50 copies a week through Exchange & Mart. He once said, "I've never had a job or wanted one, and if I don't like something I'm doing or it becomes boring I just dump it. I think it's in the genes. I'm not a worrier and I never try too hard. I suppose I'm just lucky."
Martin Miller's first marriage, in 1966, to Elaine, was dissolved in 1975. His second, in 1978, ended in 1992. He married, thirdly, in 2001, Ioana Beju. She survives him with the three daughters of his first marriage and two of his second.
Martin Miller, born 24 November 1946, died 24 December 2013.
Story Type: News