Francis Edward Smedley (4 October 1818 – 1 May 1864) was an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
novelist. His name appears in print usually as Frank E. Smedley.
Life
He was born with deformed feet, a disability that impaired his mobility and prevented him from attending regular school. Instead he was privately educated by his uncle.
[The Reverend Edward Smedley, an usher at Westminster. He was the father of Menella Smedley. The family were cousins of the Dodsons.] His cousin, the poet
Menella Bute Smedley
Menella Bute Smedley (1820–1877) was a novelist and poet. A relative of Lewis Carroll, she wrote some minor novels and books of poems, including the anonymous, ''The Story of Queen Isabel, and Other Verses'', 1863.
She translated the old German ...
, later kept house for him and acted as his secretary. Smedley died in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
in 1864 and is buried in Marlow Parish Churchyard, Buckinghamshire.
Works
Smedley contributed his first book, ''Scenes from the Life of a Private Pupil'', anonymously to ''
Sharpe's London Magazine'' in 1846-1848. Smedley is credited with being the editor of that magazine. In 1849 he arranged for a book to be produced titled "Seven Tales by Seven Authors". The authors included
Edwina Burbury
Edwina Jane Burbury born Edwina Hicks (1810s – 17 February 1870) was an Irish born British writer.
Life
Burbury was born in Galway in 1818 or 1819 to Frances (born Pickering) and Edward Raymond Hicks. Her father was a soldier and her life is not ...
and
George Payne Rainsford James
George Payne Rainsford James (9 August 1799 – 9 June 1860), was an English novelist and historical writer, the son of a physician in London. He was for many years British Consul at various places in the United States and on the Continent. ...
. The proceeds of the book were directed to Burbury who had "financial difficulties" and she was given the copyright. The book was republished in 1860 and Smedley purchased the copyright from Burbury to allow this and recording its history in that edition's introduction.
Smedley's first essay proved so successful that it was expanded into ''
Frank Fairlegh
Frank or Franks may refer to:
People
* Frank (given name)
* Frank (surname)
* Franks (surname)
* Franks, a medieval Germanic people
* Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang
Curre ...
'', and published in book form in 1850. His next book, ''
Lewis Arundel or The Railroad of Life'', was originally contributed to the same magazine, which he for some time edited, and was published in book form in 1852. Of his other writings the best known is ''
Harry Coverdale's Courtship'' (1855). These stories are racily told. Either
Hablot Knight Browne
Hablot Knight Browne (10 July 1815 – 8 July 1882) was an English artist and illustrator. Well-known by his pen name, Phiz, he illustrated books by Charles Dickens, Charles Lever, and Harrison Ainsworth.
Early life
Of Huguenot ancestry, Hablot ...
("Phiz") or
George Cruikshank
George Cruikshank (27 September 1792 – 1 February 1878) was a British caricaturist and book illustrator, praised as the "modern Hogarth" during his life. His book illustrations for his friend Charles Dickens, and many other authors, reached ...
supplied illustrations for most of his books.
References
*Ellis, S.M. "Frank Smedley." ''The Fortnightly.'' London: Chapman and Hall, 1865. (pp. 271–85
googlebooksRetrieved April 25, 2009
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Notes
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Smedley, Francis Edward
English writers
1818 births
1864 deaths
People from Great Marlow