Jack Eric Morpurgo was born in London on April 26 1918. He won a place at Christ's Hospital. Morpurgo always felt that he owed the school a great debt for the excellent start he had been given in life. After school, Morpurgo attended the University of North Brunswick in Canada, which he described as "Hell without possible hope of redemption". He transferred to the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, in the United States, which he much preferred and where he read American History and Literature. In 1938 he became the college's first graduate from England since the American Revolution.

Although initially tempted to become a conscientious objector, Morpurgo enlisted in the Royal Artillery in 1939, subsequently seeing action as a regimental and staff officer in India, the Middle East, Greece and Italy. In 1946 he joined Penguin Books, where he worked as an editor until 1967. Whilst working at Penguin Books, Morpurgo answered an advertisement in The Times for a director for a national cultural institution. The position turned out to be with the National Book League (now called the Book Trust), and he was appointed Director-General. Morpurgo approached the job with tremendous zest and enthusiasm. His initiatives included setting up book-related exhibitions; raising extra funds through the sale of rare books presented by authors; persuading local housing authorities to make as much room for books in alcoves as for refrigerators; and encouraging the establishment of reference libraries in factories and offices. Behind all these ventures lay his conviction that his mission was as much - perhaps more - to non-readers as to readers.

During his time at the National Book League, Morpurgo held a number of other jobs. At the request of Unesco he served as an emissary for British books in Africa and Asia. He also worked for the Nuffield Foundation, and appeared on the BBC radio programme Transatlantic Quiz. From 1950 onwards Morpurgo held visiting professorships at universities all over the world, including Michigan State, Geneva and Berlin. Morpurgo left the National Book League in 1969 and was subsequently appointed Professor of American Literature at Leeds University. His own books include 'The History of the United States' (1955), 'The Road to Athens' (1963), 'Barnes Wallis' (1972) and 'Christ's Hospital: An Introductory History' (1991), as well as his own autobiography 'Master of None' (1990).

But when Morpurgo wanted to send his own sons there, he was told that he had too much money. This did nothing to lessen his admiration for his old school, and in 1991 he published Christ's Hospital: An Introductory History.

Morpurgo married Catherine Noel Kippe and they had three sons and a daughter, including the author and poet Michael Morpurgo. Although he was blind for the last 15 years of his life, Morpurgo's love of books remained undiminished: every wall in his house was lined with them. Morpurgo died on 2 October 2000.