Merlin Books Creator Arthur Gruppetta Passes Away

Arthur Gruppetta, the creator of Merlin Books, and the son of Marie and Domenic Gruppetta, the founders of the original shop and stationery, has sadly passed away.

‘Today Merlin lost its beating heart’, wrote his son Chris on behalf of Merlin Publishers.

‘Arthur IS Merlin, he created the first ever Merlin books all those years ago, never stopped believing in Maltese books even when the odds were against.’

He was described as the driving force behind Merlin Publishers till the very last moment. ‘Nothing will ever be the same again for us.’

Merlin published the first book in its history, Fra Mudest by Charles Casha in 1971. This now-iconic book remains alive decades later, and over the years it has seen several sequels as well as reprints of each one.

Rest in peace and condolences to all loved ones.

#MaltaDaily