Lovat Dickson
Encyclopedia
Lovat Dickson, born Horatio Henry Lovat Dickson (June 30, 1902 – January 2, 1987) was a notable publisher and writer, the first Canadian to have a major publishing role in Britain. He is best known today for his biographies of Grey Owl
, Richard Hillary
, Radclyffe Hall
and H. G. Wells
. He also wrote a history of the Royal Ontario Museum
.
. A precocious entrepreneur, he founded and edited the Blue Diamond Mine newsletter while in Jasper. He began studies at the University of Alberta
(U of A) in 1923, graduating in 1927 with first class honours in English and earning the Lieutenant Governor
’s Gold Medal and a Royal Society of Canada
Fellowship in English literature. He earned a Master of Arts degree from the U of A in 1929, but by this time he had already returned to England where he embarked on a successful career as an editor and publisher. He was first assistant editor of the Fortnightly Review
, and later the editor of the Review of Reviews
. He started his own publishing company in 1932, called Lovat Dickson Limited, later forming a publishing partnership with Piers Gilchrist Thompson
. He also founded the short-lived Lovat Dickson’s Magazine (20 issues, November 1933 to June 1935) in which he published short stories by such writers as Walter de la Mare
, H. E. Bates
, Fritiof Nilsson, V. S. Pritchett
, and D. H. Lawrence
.
One of his principal successes as a publisher was Pilgrims of the Wild by Grey Owl, whom Dickson made a celebrity in England by taking him on two highly successful promotional tours in the late 1930s. Grey Owl and Dickson became friends and Dickson wrote two biographies of the enigmatic Englishman that appeared in 1939 and 1973.
In 1938, Dickson sold his catalogue to the publisher Peter Llewelyn Davies and joined the staff of Macmillan & Company
in London. In 1940 he became a director and the following year, 1941, he was appointed the company’s general manager, a position he held until his retirement in 1964.
He was married to Marguerite Brodie of Montreal. He died in Toronto at 84.
Grey Owl
Grey Owl was the name Archibald Belaney adopted when he took on a First Nations identity as an adult...
, Richard Hillary
Richard Hillary
Flight Lieutenant Richard Hope Hillary was a Battle of Britain pilot who died during World War II...
, Radclyffe Hall
Radclyffe Hall
Radclyffe Hall was an English poet and author, best known for the lesbian classic The Well of Loneliness.- Life :...
and H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells
Herbert George Wells was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games...
. He also wrote a history of the Royal Ontario Museum
Royal Ontario Museum
The Royal Ontario Museum is a museum of world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. With its main entrance facing Bloor Street in Downtown Toronto, the museum is situated north of Queen's Park and east of Philosopher's Walk in the University of Toronto...
.
Biography
Lovat Dickson was born in Victoria, Australia to parents of United Empire Loyalist descent. His father was a mining engineer. At the age of seven, he moved with his family to Rhodesia (now Zaire), and at eleven he was sent to school in England. At age fifteen, he moved to Canada where he worked in a mining camp near Jasper, AlbertaJasper, Alberta
Jasper is a specialized municipality in western Alberta, Canada. It is the commercial centre of Jasper National Park, located in the Canadian Rockies in the Athabasca River valley....
. A precocious entrepreneur, he founded and edited the Blue Diamond Mine newsletter while in Jasper. He began studies at the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
(U of A) in 1923, graduating in 1927 with first class honours in English and earning the Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Alberta
The Lieutenant Governor of Alberta is the viceregal representative in Alberta of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the nine other jurisdictions of Canada and resides predominantly in her oldest realm, the United...
’s Gold Medal and a Royal Society of Canada
Royal Society of Canada
The Royal Society of Canada , may also operate under the more descriptive name RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada , is the oldest association of scientists and scholars in Canada...
Fellowship in English literature. He earned a Master of Arts degree from the U of A in 1929, but by this time he had already returned to England where he embarked on a successful career as an editor and publisher. He was first assistant editor of the Fortnightly Review
Fortnightly Review
Fortnightly Review was one of the most important and influential magazines in nineteenth-century England. It was founded in 1865 by Anthony Trollope, Frederic Harrison, Edward Spencer Beesly, and six others with an investment of £9,000; the first edition appeared on 15 May 1865...
, and later the editor of the Review of Reviews
Review of Reviews
The Review of Reviews was a noted family of monthly journals founded in 1890-93 by British reform journalist William Thomas Stead...
. He started his own publishing company in 1932, called Lovat Dickson Limited, later forming a publishing partnership with Piers Gilchrist Thompson
Piers Gilchrist Thompson
Piers Gilchrist Thompson was an English publisher and Liberal Party politician.-Family and education:Thompson was born in Battersea, the son of the Reverend Canon Henry Percy Thompson and his wife Lillian . He was educated at Winchester College and Brasenose College, Oxford where he obtained his...
. He also founded the short-lived Lovat Dickson’s Magazine (20 issues, November 1933 to June 1935) in which he published short stories by such writers as Walter de la Mare
Walter de la Mare
Walter John de la Mare , OM CH was an English poet, short story writer and novelist, probably best remembered for his works for children and the poem "The Listeners"....
, H. E. Bates
H. E. Bates
Herbert Ernest Bates, CBE , better known as H. E. Bates, was an English writer and author. His best-known works include Love for Lydia, The Darling Buds of May, and My Uncle Silas.-Early life:...
, Fritiof Nilsson, V. S. Pritchett
V. S. Pritchett
Sir Victor Sawdon Pritchett CH CBE , was a British writer and critic. He was particularly known for his short stories, collected in a number of volumes...
, and D. H. Lawrence
D. H. Lawrence
David Herbert Richards Lawrence was an English novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter who published as D. H. Lawrence. His collected works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanising effects of modernity and industrialisation...
.
One of his principal successes as a publisher was Pilgrims of the Wild by Grey Owl, whom Dickson made a celebrity in England by taking him on two highly successful promotional tours in the late 1930s. Grey Owl and Dickson became friends and Dickson wrote two biographies of the enigmatic Englishman that appeared in 1939 and 1973.
In 1938, Dickson sold his catalogue to the publisher Peter Llewelyn Davies and joined the staff of Macmillan & Company
Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
in London. In 1940 he became a director and the following year, 1941, he was appointed the company’s general manager, a position he held until his retirement in 1964.
He was married to Marguerite Brodie of Montreal. He died in Toronto at 84.