James Leasor (1923–2007) was one of the bestselling and most prolific British authors of the second half of the twentieth century, with more than fifty books spanning thrillers, historical novels and narrative non-fiction. His Dr Jason Love spy series began with Passport to Oblivion and reached the screen as Where the Spies Are starring David Niven; other film adaptations include Boarding Party (filmed as The Sea Wolves) and The One That Got Away.

Chiselbury was founded in 2011 by Stuart Leasor to bring his father’s work back to new and longtime readers, and continues to publish and reissue his titles. Landmark books include The Red Fort (on the 1857 Indian Mutiny), The Plague and the Fire (London 1665–66), Green Beach (the Dieppe radar raid), and The Marine from Mandalay. Readers can also explore the Jason Love novels, the Aristo Autos mysteries (such as Host of Extras), and the Robert Gunn novels set on the nineteenth-century China coast: Mandarin-Gold, The Chinese Widow and Jade Gate.