George Ferguson's obituary in the Age describes how he was 'destined for a world of books. His grandfather, George Robertson, was co-founder of Angus and Robertson ... and his father, Sir John Ferguson, wrote the massive Bibliography of Australia.'
Ferguson began selling technical books in 1931 and joined the Angus and Robertson publishing department in 1939. After the Second World War, in 1945, he returned to Angus and Robertson, working in production and editorial before becoming publishing director in 1949, and later managing director. He left the company in 1971 after a change of ownership.
At Angus and Robertson, Ferguson pioneered Australian book exports and became the first Australian publisher to open an office in Singapore. He also began the attendance by Australian publishers at overseas trade fairs. Ferguson was Mary Gilmore's nominee in the matter of her personal diaries. He was president of the Australian Book Publishers Association (APBA). After retirement he became a staff director of the ABPA and was appointed to the board of the publisher Jacaranda Wiley.( Age, 16 January 1998)
