Lucas, Edward Verrall, 1868-1938

Dates

• Existence: 1868 - 1938

Biography

Edward Verrall Lucas was born June 11, 1868, in Eltham, Kent, England. He received little formal education and was apprenticed to a book seller at age 16. Two years later he joined the staff of the "Sussex Daily News." He began writing for the "London Globe" in 1893, and his first book, "A Book of Verses for Children," was published in 1897. His next book, "The Open Road," appeared in 1899, and attracted the attention of the head of the Methuen Publishing Company who commissioned him to write a biography of Charles Lamb. "The Works and Letters of Charles and Mary Lamb," and "A Life of Charles Lamb," were published in 1905. In addition to anthologies, collection of essays, travelogues, novels, children's books and scholarly works, Lucas wrote a weekly column for the "London Sunday Times" entitled "A Wanderer's Notebook." In 1924, he became chairman of the Methuen Publishing Company and in 1928, a member of the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments. He was appointed a Companion of Honor in 1932, received honorary degrees from Oxford and St. Andrew University and became a member of the Crown Lands Advisory Committee in 1933. His last major work, "The Letters of Charles and Mary Lamb," was published in 1935. Lucas died in London in 1938.

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