DEATH OF HUMORIST

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23075, 28 June 1938, Page 9

DEATH OF HUMORIST

MR. EDWARD V. LUCAS CONTRIBUTOR TO PUNCH LONDON, June 28 The death has occurred of Mr« Edward V. Lucas, essayist and humorist, aged 70 years. Mr. Lucas began his literary career as a journalist, and published his first hook, "The Open lload," in 1899. Since then he had made a reputation as a literary artist on a very wide range of subjects—as a novelist of distinction, a brilliant and painsfcakina biographer, a charming essayist, a humorist and an editor. In 1903 Mr. Lucas and Mr. C. L. Graves published in "Wisdom While You Wait," the first of a series of skits on persons and events of the day which set the Arhole of England laughing.. After writing three books, which recorded his impressions as a "Wanderer"in Sussex, London and Holland, he produced "Listener's Lure" in 1906. This was in a style peculiarly his own. Ii consisted of correspondence between persons of various stations and charaoters, and introduced, while maintaining a tliin thread of story, views on a great many aspects of life related frequently with touches of humour. ' In 1907. Mr. Lucas published "Character and Comedy," a collection of essays, sketches and stories, some J of which he reproduced from Punch, to which he was for many years a regular contributor. After other works from his pen had appeared there came "Mr. Ingleside," a story of a middleaged man who has known the disappointments of life and is glad to receive visits from friends who discuss events of the day with intelligence and humour and know something about books and pictures. Among his biographics were those of E. A. Abbey. R.A., John Constable and Charles Lamb. He wrote also, other books of stories, essays and charming "Wanderer" volumes. When Sir Sidney Colvin, the distinguished writer and authority on literature and art died in 1927, he bequeathed his valuable collection of letters from some of the greatest writers, artists, musicians and statesmen of tho period to»Mr. Lucas, with authority to destroy, publish or preserve them, as he thought fit. Mr. Lucas produced from them in 1928 "The Colvins and Their Friends." In the same year he published "A llover 1 Would Bo"; in this, his nineteenth book of disquisitions on things in general, he touched lightly in his characteristically alluring way on various unconventional ways of regarding life. He edited the works and letters of Charles and Mary Lamb. In 1922 St. Andrew's University conferred on Mr. Lucas the degree of LL.D. He became chairman of the publishing firm of Methuen and Company in 1924. '