36 PHYLLIS PEARSALL
» Norman Dennison. ‘The influx of troops into London
at that time helped sales. But with a shortage of
paper after the war, Phyllis was forced to outsource
printing to Holland.’
Phyllis was seriously injured in a plane crash fl ying
back from the printers in 1945, but her company
thrived. She led from the top with her motto, ‘On
we go’, she banned board meetings and, in the
Sixties, transferred ownership of the company into
trust to ensure the future for her staff. ‘She was
a remarkable and very generous woman. She
continued working right up to her death in 1996 and
saw in computer-aided design,’ adds Dennison.
Taxi drivers’ bible
The rise of personal satellite navigation in cars and
on mobile phones has seriously dented the
company’s profits in recent years, but A-Z continues
to sell. It is especially popular with taxi drivers who
learn to navigate the atlas at Knowledge School,
the training body that teaches them the ins and outs
of the city’s streets.
This year A-Z re-printed an original 1937 atlas
believed to be the earliest still in existence. The
company has appealed to anyone who might have
an early copy to get in touch. ‘We only have a
tattered 1937 atlas ourselves and would be
interested to fi nd a better copy. The problem is
people used them a lot and they often fell apart.
It’s not like a normal book which is read once and
then placed on a shelf,’ says Dennison.
Phyllis wrote about her remarkable story in From
Bedsitter To Household Name. In 2005 a blue
plaque was placed on the side of the house where
she was born in Dulwich.
The A-Z atlas also featured in a top 20 of British
Design Classics in 2006. It ranked alongside other
famous creations, including the London Underground
map, the Routemaster red bus and the Spitfire. ■
10% off sat navs at
racshop.co.uk.
Just enter ‘mag1’ at checkout
RAC WORLD
34-36 A-Z V3 RAC8.indd 36 25/2/09 13:03:03
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