Brooks, Shirley, 1816-1874

Shirley Brooks was editor of Punch from 1870 to 1874

From the guide to the Diaries of Shirley Brooks, 1867-1872, (GB 206 Leeds University Library)

English humorist and editor.

From the description of Diaries (2) : autograph manuscripts signed : London and other places in Great Britain, 1865 and 1870. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270875191

Charles William Shirley Brooks (1816-1874) was an English playwright, newspaper columnist, and editor of Punch magazine.

From the description of Shirley Brooks letters, 1854-1874. (University of Delaware Library). WorldCat record id: 658230356

Epithet: Editor of Punch

British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000000698.0x0001c3

British journalist and playwright.

From the description of Autograph letter signed : [London?], to Catherine Dickens, undated. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270133741

Shirley Brooks was a writer and humorist, perhaps best known for his affiliation with Punch. He had early success as a writer with popular plays and magazine contributions, and acted as travel correspondent for the London Morning Chronicle. He began a long association with the humor magazine, Punch, in 1851, and became editor in 1870. He was known as a gifted observer and talented writer.

From the description of Shirley Brooks letter to Charles Selby, 1857 Oct. 22. (Pennsylvania State University Libraries). WorldCat record id: 63173087

Charles William Shirley Brooks (1816–1874) was an English playwright, newspaper columnist, and editor of Punch magazine.

Charles William Shirley Brooks was born and educated in London, England. Although he passed the Incorporated Law Society examination, he never practiced law. Instead, he chose to pursue careers as journalist, novelist, and dramatist. His first job was as a reporter on the House of Commons for the Morning Chronicle . In 1853, that same newspaper sent him abroad to cover labor and the poor in Russia, Syria, and Egypt. The letters he wrote during his travels were compiled and published under the title Russians of the South (1852).

The plays he wrote and produced were well received in the literary community and included the following: The Creole (1847); Daughter of the Star (1850); The Exposition (1851); Olympics (1861); Guardian Angel ; Lowther Arcade ; Honors and Tricks ; and Our New Governess . In addition to his success as a playwright, Brooks published extensively in popular periodicals and also wrote two novels: Aspen Court, A Story of Our Times (1853), and Gordian Knot (1858).

Brooks joined the staff of Punch in 1851. He wrote a column under the pen-name Epicurus Rotundus. In 1870, Brooks succeeded Mark Lemon as the editor of Punch, though he continued his prolific writing career until his death on February 23, 1874.

The Dictionary of National Biography . Vol II. ed. Sir Leslie Stephen and Sir Sidney Lee. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1973.

From the guide to the Shirley Brooks letters, 1854–1874, (University of Delaware Library - Special Collections)