Thomas Purnell (1834–1889) was a British author, best known as a London drama critic writing under the pseudonym "Q".

Life

The son of Robert Purnell, he was born in

Tenby Tenby ( cy, Dinbych-y-pysgod, lit=fortlet of the fish) is both a walled seaside town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on the western side of Carmarthen Bay, and a local government community. Notable features include of sandy beaches and the Pembroke ...

, Pembrokeshire, Wales, in 1834. He matriculated at Trinity College, Dublin in 1852, but then went to London and became a journalist. In 1862 Purnell was recommended by

Sir Thomas Duffus Hardy Sir Thomas Duffus Hardy (22 May 1804 – 15 June 1878) was an English archivist and antiquary, who served as Deputy Keeper of the Public Record Office from 1861 to 1878. Life Hardy was the third son of Major Thomas Bartholomew Price Hardy, fro ...

for the post of assistant secretary and librarian of the Archæological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, which he retained until 1866. In 1870–1871 he contributed to the '' Athenæum'', under the signature "Q.", a series of drama criticisms that attracted notice for their style and for their censures. Charles Reade and

Tom Taylor Tom Taylor (19 October 1817 – 12 July 1880) was an English dramatist, critic, biographer, public servant, and editor of ''Punch'' magazine. Taylor had a brief academic career, holding the professorship of English literature and language a ...

published replies to his remarks on their works. Purnell founded a small literary club, the "Decemviri", which included A. C. Swinburne, Whistler, Robert Edward Francillon, and Joseph Knight. He came to know

Giuseppe Giuseppe is the Italian form of the given name Joseph, from Latin Iōsēphus from Ancient Greek Ἰωσήφ (Iōsḗph), from Hebrew יוסף. It is the most common name in Italy and is unique (97%) to it. The feminine form of the name is Giuse ...

Mazzini, to whom he introduced Swinburne and others. He died after a long illness on 17 December 1889, at Lloyd Square,

Pentonville Pentonville is an area on the northern fringe of Central London, in the London Borough of Islington. It is located north-northeast of Charing Cross on the Inner Ring Road. Pentonville developed in the northwestern edge of the ancient parish ...

, London.

Works

In 1871 Purnell edited

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� ...

's '' Correspondence and Works'', and organised the Charles Lamb centenary dinner. He was the author of the following: *''Literature and its Professors'', London, 1867 *''Dramatists of the Present Day'' (reprinted from the ''Athenæum''), by Q., London, 1871 *''To London and elsewhere'', London, 1881 *''The Lady Drusilla: a Psychological Romance'', London, 1886 *''Dust and Diamonds: Essays'', London, 1888 Purnell also edited the ''Historia Quatuor Regum Angliæ'' of John Herd (1511–1584) for the

Roxburghe Club The Roxburghe Club is a bibliophilic and publishing society based in the United Kingdom. Origins The spur to the Club's foundation was the sale of the enormous library of the Duke of Roxburghe (who had died in 1804), which took place over 46 day ...

in 1868.Publication: London: John Bowyer Nichols and Sons, 1868.

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Purnell, Thomas 1834 births 1889 deaths British male journalists British theatre critics British literary editors 19th-century British journalists 19th-century British male writers