Edward Verrall Lucas, (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 the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

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 in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

and then on a London evening paper. He was commissioned to write a biography of

Bernard Barton Bernard Barton (31 January 1784 – 19 February 1849) was known as the Quaker poet. His main works included ''The Convict's Appeal'' (1818), in which he protested against the death penalty and the severity of the criminal code. Family Bernard ...

, 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'' 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 A publisher's reader or first reader is a person paid by a publisher or book sales club to read manuscripts A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as op ...

for Methuen and Co. In 1924 he was appointed chairman of the company.

Life and career

Early years and marriage

Lucas was born in

Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of South London, 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 ...

, 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 and civil parish 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. Th ...

. 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 f ...

, 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 of the marriage, Audrey Lucas, who became an actor, playwright and novelist. Elizabeth Lucas was a writer, and husband and wife collaborated on several children's books.

Career

Lucas's Quaker background led to a commission from the

Society of Friends Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

for a biography of

, 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 '' Punch'', 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 known as Edward Bear, Pooh Bear or simply Pooh) is a fictional Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared by ...

books. Lucas 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 theatre crit ...

'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." In 1910 Lucas wrote the short article on

Jane Austen Jane Austen ( ; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for #List of works, her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment on the English landed gentry at the end of the 18th century ...

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. He 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 succe ...

's team the "

Allahakbarries Allahakbarries was an amateur cricket team founded by author J. M. Barrie, and was active from 1887 to 1913. The team's name was a portmanteau of Barrie's name and the mistaken belief that ' Allah akbar' meant 'Heaven help us' in Arabic (rather th ...

", 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 Hol ...

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, ...

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

John Arlott Leslie Thomas John Arlott, (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 becam ...

called "the best written of all books on cricket". 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 for the firm; in 1924 he was appointed its chairman, a post he occupied with considerable success.

Later years

Lucas received honorary degrees from the Universities of

St Andrews St Andrews (; ; , pronounced ʰʲɪʎˈrˠiː.ɪɲ 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 fourth-largest settleme ...

and

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, and was appointed

Member of the Order of the Companions 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. It was founded on the same date as the Order of the British Empire. The orde ...

in 1932. He was appointed a member of the

Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal ...

in 1928, and from 1933 until his death he was a member of the Crown Lands 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 A beefsteak, often called just steak, is a flat cut of beef with parallel faces, usually cut perpendicular to the muscle fibres. In common restaurant service a single serving has a raw mass ranging from . Beef steaks are usually grilled, pa ...

, Buck's and the Garrick. 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 an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...

, London, at the age of 70.

Reception and legacy

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 '' ...

'' 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." 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.

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) * ''

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 (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, hist ...

's ''

The War of the Worlds ''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells. It was written between 1895 and 1897, and serialised in '' Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US in 1897. The full novel was ...

'') * ''

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 Mary Anne Lamb (3 December 1764 – 20 May 1847) was an English writer. She is best known for the collaboration with her brother Charles Lamb, Charles on the collection ''Tales from Shakespeare'' (1807). Mary suffered from mental illness, and i ...

'' (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. L ...

* ''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), illustrated by M.V. Wheelhouse * ''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 ( ; – 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 scenes of the Engli ...

'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, 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 painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life. He is considered one of the greatest painters of the Dutch ...

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), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

'' (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 Romanticism, Romantic tradition. Born in Suffolk, he is known principally for revolutionising the genre of landscape painting with his pictures of Dedha ...

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. He lived and worked in Haarlem, a city in which the local authority of the day frowned on religious painting in places of worship but citizens liked to decorate thei ...

'' (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 cricket, Test, One-day cricket, One-Day International and county cricket located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England, just across the River Trent from the city of Nott ...

'' (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 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 English humorists