Edward Verrall Lucas, CH (11/12 June 1868 – 26 June 1938) was an English humorist, essayist, playwright, biographer, publisher, poet, novelist, short story writer and editor. Born to a

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...

family in Eltham, on the fringes of London, Lucas began work at the age of sixteen, apprenticed to a bookseller. After that he turned to journalism, and worked on a local paper in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

and then on a London evening paper. He was commissioned to write a biography of Bernard Barton, the Quaker poet. This led to further commissions, including the editing of the works of

Charles Lamb Charles Lamb (10 February 1775 – 27 December 1834) was an English essayist, poet, and antiquarian, best known for his '' Essays of Elia'' and for the children's book '' Tales from Shakespeare'', co-authored with his sister, Mary Lamb (1764� ...

. Lucas joined the staff of the humorous magazine ''

Punch Punch commonly refers to: * Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist * Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice Punch may also refer to: Places * Pu ...

'' in 1904, and remained there for the rest of his life. He was a prolific writer, most celebrated for his short essays, but he also produced verses, novels and plays. From 1908 to 1924 Lucas combined his work as a writer with that of publisher's reader for Methuen and Co. In 1924 he was appointed chairman of the company.

Life and career

Early years

Lucas was born in

Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three wards o ...

, Kent, the second son of the four sons and three daughters of Alfred Lucas and his wife, Jane ''née'' Drewett. The Lucases were a Quaker family, and the young Lucas was educated at Friends School in

Saffron Walden Saffron Walden is a market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England, north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and north of London. It retains a rural appearance and some buildings of the medieval period. The population was 15, ...

. His father's financial incompetence prevented Lucas from going to a university, and at the age of sixteen he was apprenticed to a

bookseller.Knox, E V, revised by Katharine Chubbuck
"Lucas, Edward Verrall (1868–1938)"
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, Retrieved 13 March 2013 In 1889 Lucas joined the staff of the ''Sussex Daily News''. The following year he published, anonymously, his first volume of poems, ''Sparks from a Flint''."Mr E V Lucas". ''The Times'', 27 June 1938, p. 16 With financial help from an uncle he moved to London to attend lectures at

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

, after which he joined the staff of '' The Globe'', one of London's evening papers. His duties there allowed him a great deal of spare time, and he read extensively in the Reading Room of the British Museum. In 1897 he married (Florence) Elizabeth Gertrude, daughter of Colonel James Theodore Griffin, of the United States army; there was one child, Audrey, of the marriage. Elizabeth Lucas was a writer, and husband and wife collaborated on several children's books. Elizabeth may also have acted as a translator, as a Mrs E.V. Lucas is listed as translator on multiple books.

Writer

Lucas's Quaker background led to a commission from the

Society of Friends Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

for a biography of Bernard Barton, the Quaker poet and friend of

. The success of the book was followed by further commissions from leading publishers; the most important of these commissions was a new edition of Lamb's works, which eventually amounted to seven volumes, with an associated biography, all published between 1903 and 1905. His biographer Katharine Chubbuck writes, "These works established him as a critic, and his ''Life of Charles Lamb'' (1905) is considered seminal." In 1904, while in the middle of his work on Lamb, he joined the staff of ''

'', remaining there for more than thirty years. Lucas introduced his ''Punch'' colleague A A Milne to the illustrator E H Shepard with whom Milne collaborated on two collections of verse and the two

Winnie-the-Pooh Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear and Pooh, is a fictional anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. The first collection of stories about the character was the book ''Win ...

books. Lucas's output was prolific; by

Max Beerbohm Sir Henry Maximilian Beerbohm (24 August 1872 – 20 May 1956) was an English essayist, Parody, parodist and Caricature, caricaturist under the signature Max. He first became known in the 1890s as a dandy and a humorist. He was the drama critic ...

's estimation he spoke fewer words than he wrote."E(dward) V(errall) Lucas"
Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2003 Lucas's ''Punch'' colleague E V Knox commented, "Lucas's publications include many anthologies and about thirty collections of light essays, on almost any subject that took his fancy, and some of the titles which he gave to them, ''Listener's Lure'' (1905), ''One Day and Another'' (1909), ''Old Lamps for New'' (1911), ''Loiterer's Harvest'' (1913), ''Cloud and Silver'' (1916), ''A Rover I Would Be'' (1928), indicate sufficiently the lightness, gaiety, and variety of their contents."Knox, E V
"Lucas, Edward Verrall"
Dictionary of National Biography, 1949, online edition Retrieved 13 March 2013 He wrote travel books, parodies, and books about painters. Of the last he said, "I know very little about pictures, but I like to write about them for the benefit of those who know less." Frank Swinnerton wrote of him: Lucas's fluency was thought by some to dilute his skill. Although Swinnerton declared Lucas's essays "among the most agreeable of our age", Agnes Irene Smith wrote in ''

The Sewanee Review ''The Sewanee Review'' is an American literary magazine established in 1892. It is the oldest continuously published quarterly in the United States. It publishes original fiction and poetry, essays, reviews, and literary criticism. History ''T ...

'' of Lucas that despite his huge output "he seems to have left no finger prints. Eminently readable, he is read without being remembered; unusually quotable, he was never quoted much and seems never to be quoted any more." In 1910 Lucas authored the short article on

Jane Austen Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...

in the 11th edition of the ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Before the First World War Lucas was for a while interested in the theatre; his play The Visit of the King was produced at the Palace Theatre in 1912, but was not well received. 0 Lucas was athletic and enjoyed billiards as well as cricket. Lucas was a member of

J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succ ...

's team the " Allahakbarries", along with Henry Herbert La Thangue and

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

Rupert Hart-Davis Sir Rupert Charles Hart-Davis (28 August 1907 – 8 December 1999) was an English publisher and editor. He founded the publishing company Rupert Hart-Davis Ltd. As a biographer, he is remembered for his ''Hugh Walpole'' (1952), as an editor, f ...

collected and published a collection of Lucas's essays, ''Cricket All His Life'', which

John Arlott Leslie Thomas John Arlott, OBE (25 February 1914 – 14 December 1991) was an English journalist, author and cricket commentator for the BBC's ''Test Match Special''. He was also a poet and wine connoisseur. With his poetic phraseology, he be ...

called "the best written of all books on cricket". His study of ''Highways and Byways in Sussex'' continues to influence postmodern explorations of the local; while his 1932 memoirs ''Reading, Writing and Remembering'' retained their interest longer than most of his other essays.

Later years

Lucas had a long association with the publishing house Methuen and Co, which published his edition of Lamb. From 1908 to 1924 he was a

reader A reader is a person who reads. It may also refer to: Computing and technology * Adobe Reader (now Adobe Acrobat), a PDF reader * Bible Reader for Palm, a discontinued PDA application * A card reader, for extracting data from various forms of ...

for the firm; in 1924 he was appointed its chairman, a post he occupied with considerable success. Lucas received honorary degrees from the Universities of

St Andrews St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fourt ...

and

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, and was appointed

Companion of Honour The Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded on 4 June 1917 by King George V as a reward for outstanding achievements. Founded on the same date as the Order of the British Empire, it is sometimes ...

in 1932. He was appointed a member of the

Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England The Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (RCHME) was a government advisory body responsible for documenting buildings and monuments of archaeological, architectural and historical importance in England. It was established in 19 ...

in 1928, and from 1933 until his death he was a member of the

Crown Lands Crown land (sometimes spelled crownland), also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an Fee tail, entailed Estate (land), estate and passes with the monarchy, be ...

Advisory Committee."Lucas, Edward Verrall"
''Who Was Who'', A. & C. Black, 1920–2008; online edition, Oxford University Press, December 2007, Retrieved 13 March 2013 In his later years Lucas cut his domestic ties and lived alone, spending his evenings in restaurants and clubs, and developing a wide collection of pornography. He was a member of the Athenæum, Beefsteak,

Buck Buck may refer to: Common meanings * A colloquialism for a dollar or similar currency * An adult male in some animal species - see List of animal names * Derby shoes, nicknamed "bucks" for the common use of buckskin in their making People * Buck ...

's and the

Garrick Garrick may refer to: * Garrick (name), for the name's origin and people with either the surname or given name, the most famous being: ** David Garrick (1717–1779), English actor * Garrick Club, a London gentlemen's club named in honour of David ...

. When he was stricken with his final illness he steadfastly refused to allow his friends into his sickroom."E. V. L., Autocrat", ''The Times'' 17 February 1939, p. 9 Lucas died in a nursing home in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough, it ...

, London, at the age of 70.

Works

* ''The Face on the Wall'' * ''Sparks from a Flint: Odd Rhymes for Odd Time''s (1891) As "E. V. L." * ''Songs of the Bat'' (1892) * '' Bernard Barton and his friends: a record of quiet lives'' (1893) * ''A Book of Verse for Children'' (1897) * ''The Flamp, the Ameliorator, and the Schoolboy's Apprentice'' (1897) * ''All the World Over'' (1898), illustrated by Edith Farmiloe * ''The War of the Wenuses'' (1898) with C. L. Graves (a parody of

H G Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. '' The War of the Worlds ''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells, first serialised in 1897 by ''Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and by ''Cosmopolitan (magazine), Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US. The novel's first appear ...

'') * ''

and the Lloyds'' (1898) * ''Willow and Leather'' (1898), cricket essays * ''The Open Road'' (1899), anthology * ''The Book of Shops'' (1899) * ''Four And Twenty Toilers'' (1900), poems * ''What Shall We Do Now?'' (1900) with Elizabeth Lucas, games book * ''Domesticities: A Little Book of Household Impressions'' (1900) * ''The Visit to London'' (1902) * ''Wisdom While You Wait'' (1903) with C. L. Graves, parody encyclopedia * ''England Day by Day'' (1903) with C. L. Graves * ''Works and Letters of Charles and Mary Lamb'' (1903–05), editor * ''Highways and Byways in Sussex'' (1904) * ''The Life of Charles Lamb'' (1905), biography (revised editions 1907 and 1921) * ''The Friendly Town'' (1905) * ''A Wanderer in Holland'' (1905) * ''A Wanderer in London'' (1906) * ''Fireside and Sunshine'' (1906) * ''Listener's Lure'' (1906) * An Oblique Narration (1906) * ''Change for a Halfpenny'' (1906) with C. L. Graves * ''Signs of the Times,'' with C. L. Graves * ''The Doll Doctor'' (1907) * ''Character and Comedy'' (1907) * ''A Swan and her Friends'' (1907), about

Anna Seward Anna Seward (12 December 1742 ld style: 1 December 1742./ref>Often wrongly given as 1747.25 March 1809) was an English Romantic poet, often called the Swan of Lichfield. She benefited from her father's progressive views on female education. Li ...

* ''The Hambledon Men'' (1907), cricket history * ''The Gentlest Art'' (1907), anthology of letters * ''Another Book of Verses for Children'' (1907) * ''Anne's Terrible Good Nature'' (1908) * ''Over Bemerton's'' (1908), novel * ''If: A Nightmare in the Conditional Mood'' (1908) with C. L. Graves * ''Hustled History, Or, As It Might Have Been'' (1908), with C. L. Graves * ''The Slowcoach'' (1908,) fiction * ''Mr Coggs and other songs for children'' (1908), with Liza Lehmann * ''A Wanderer in Paris'' (1909) * ''One Day and Another'' (1909) * ''Farthest from the Truth'' (1909) * ''Good Company – A Rally of Men'' (1909) * ''Sir Pulteney'' (1910), as E. D. Ward, fantasy * ''Mr Ingleside'' (1910), novel * ''The Slowcoach'' (1910) * ''The Second Post'' (1910), anthology of letters * ''Old Lamps for New'' (1911) * ''Harvest Home'' (1911, Macmillan (1913) * '' What a Life!'' (1911), with George Morrow * ''

William Cowper William Cowper ( ; 26 November 1731 – 25 April 1800) was an English poet and Anglican hymnwriter. One of the most popular poets of his time, Cowper changed the direction of 18th-century nature poetry by writing of everyday life and sce ...

's Letters'' (1911), editor * ''A Wanderer in Florence'' (1912) * ''London Lavender'' (1912) * ''A Little of Everything'' (1912) * ''Loiterer's Harvest'' (1913), essays * ''A Group of Londoners'', privately printed (Minneapolis) (1913) * ''British Pictures and Their Painters'' (1913) * ''Swollen Headed William'' (1914), parody * ''A Wanderer in Venice'' (1914) * ''All the Papers'' (1914), with C. L. Graves * ''Landmarks'' (1914) * ''A Picked Company: being a selection of writings'' (1915), editor * ''Guillaumism'', privately printed (London) (1915) * ''Her Infinite Variety: A Feminine Portrait Gallery'' (1915), anthology * ''In Gentlest Germany'' (1915) * ''The Hausfrau Rampant'' (1916), novel * ''Cloud and Silver'' (1916) * ''The Vermilion Box'' (1916), novel * ''London Revisited'' (1916) * ''Variety Lane'' (1916) * ''His Fatal Beauty: or, The Moore of Chelsea'', privately printed (London) (1917) * ''A Boswell of Baghdad'' (1917), essays * ''Outposts of Mercy: The Record of a Visit to Various Units of the Red Cross in Italy'' (1917) * ''Twixt Eagle & Dove'' (1918) * ''The Phantom Journal and Other Essays and Diversions'' (1919) * ''Quoth the Raven'' (1919) * ''Mixed Vintages'' (1919) * ''Traveller's Joy'' (1919) * ''Adventures and Enthusiasms'' (1920) * ''David Williams: Founder of the Royal Literary Fund'' (1920) * ''Specially Selected'' (1920) * ''Verena in the Midst'' (1920) * ''Roving East and Roving West'' (1921) * ''Urbanities'' (1921) * ''

Edwin Austin Abbey Edwin Austin Abbey (April 1, 1852August 1, 1911) was an American muralist, illustrator, and painter. He flourished at the beginning of what is now referred to as the "golden age" of illustration, and is best known for his drawings and paintings ...

, Royal Academician, The Record of His Life and Wor''k (1921), biography * ''Rose and Rose'' (1922) * ''

Vermeer Johannes Vermeer ( , , see below; also known as Jan Vermeer; October 1632 – 15 December 1675) was a Dutch Baroque Period painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life. During his lifetime, he was a moderately succe ...

of Delft'' (1922) * ''Giving and Receiving'' (1922) * ''You Know What People Are'' (1922) * ''Ginevra's Money'' (1922) * ''Advisory Ben'' (1923) * ''Luck of the Year'' (1923) * ''Michael Angelo'' (1924) * ''

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally cons ...

'' (1924) * ''A Wanderer among Pictures'' (1924) * ''As the Twig Is Straightened'' (1924) * ''Encounters and Diversions'' (1924) * ''The Same Star'' (1924), play * ''Chardin and Vigee-Lebrun'' (1924) * ''Michael Angelo'' (1924) * ''Zigzags in France'' (1925) * ''Playtime and Company'' (1925) * ''

John Constable John Constable (; 11 June 1776 – 31 March 1837) was an English landscape painter in the Romantic tradition. Born in Suffolk, he is known principally for revolutionising the genre of landscape painting with his pictures of Dedham Vale, th ...

the Painter'' (1925) * ''Introducing London'' (1925) * ''A Wanderer in Rome'' (1926) * ''Wanderings and Diversions'' (1926) * ''Events and Embroideries'' (1926) * ''365 Days and One More'' (1926) * ''

Frans Hals Frans Hals the Elder (, , ; – 26 August 1666) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, chiefly of individual and group portraits and of genre works, who lived and worked in Haarlem. Hals played an important role in the evolution of 17th-century grou ...

'' (1926), biography * ''Giorgione'' (1926) * ''Leonardo da Vinci'' (1926) * ''Van Dyck'' (1926) * ''Velasquez'' (1926) * ''Selected Essays'', edited by E. A. Woodhouse (1926) * ''Twelve Songs From "Playtime & Company"'' (1926) * ''A Cat Book'' (1927) * ''The Joy of Life'' (1927), anthology of popular poetry * ''A Fronded Isle'' (1927) * ''The More I See of Men: Stray Essays on Dogs'' (1927) * ''A Rover I Would Be'' (1928) * ''Out of a Clear Sky'' (1928) * ''Mr Punch's County Songs'' (1928) * '' The Colvins and their Friends'' (1928), biography * ''Introducing Paris'' (1928) * ''Windfall's Eye'' (1929) * ''Turning Things Over'' (1929), essays *
If Dogs Could Write: A Second Canine Miscellany
' (1929), anthology * ''Vermeer the Magical'' (1929) * ''Down the Sky'' (1930) * ''Lippincott'' (1930) * ''Traveller's Luck'' (1930), essays * ''The Pekinese National Anthem'' (1930) * ''And Such Small Deer'' (1931) * ''The Barber's Clock: A Conversation Piece'' (1931) * ''French Leaves'' (1931) * ''Visibility Good'' (1931) * ''No-Nose at the Show'' (1931) * ''At the Sign of the Dove'' (1932) * ''The Day of the Dog'' (1932) * ''Lemon Verbena'' (1932), essays * ''Reading, Writing, and Remembering'' (1932), autobiography * ''English Leaves'' (1933) * ''Saunterer's Rewards'' (1933) * ''Postbag Diversions'' (1933) * ''At the Shrine of St Charles'' (1934), for Charles Lamb anniversary * ''Pleasure Trove'' (1935) * ''The Old Contemporaries'' (1935) * ''Only the Other Day'' (1936) * ''London Afresh'' (1937) * ''All of a Piece'' (1937) * ''As the Bee Sucks'' (1937) illustrated by E. H. Shepard * ''Adventures and Misgivings'' (1938) * ''A Hundred Years of

Trent Bridge Trent Bridge Cricket Ground is a cricket ground mostly used for Test, One-Day International and county cricket located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England, just across the River Trent from the city of Nottingham. Trent Bridge is also ...

'' (1938), editor * ''Cricket All His Life'' (1950), edited by

, cricket writing * ''Selected Essays of E. V. Lucas'', edited by Herbert Newton Wethered (1954)

Notes

References

* * *

External links

* * * *
Works by E. V. Lucas
from the

Baldwin Library of Historical Children's Literature The Baldwin Library of Historical Children's Literature in the Department of Special and Area Studies Collections at the University of Florida's George A. Smathers Libraries contains more than 130,000 books and serials published in Great Britain ...

(scanned books original editions color illustrated)
Collection of portraits of Lucas at the National Portrait Gallery, London
*
Finding aid to Edward Verrall Lucas papers at Columbia University. Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucas, E.V. 1868 births 1938 deaths Cricket historians and writers English non-fiction writers Punch (magazine) people English Quakers People educated at Friends School Saffron Walden People from Eltham English male non-fiction writers People of the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England