Richard Usborne
Encyclopedia
Richard Alexander Usborne (16 May 1910 – 21 March 2006), or simply Dick Usborne, was a journalist and author. He is widely regarded as the leading scholar of the life and works of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse
(1881–1975).
, in British India
, the son of a civil servant. He was educated in England
at Summer Fields, Charterhouse
and Balliol College, Oxford.
After failing to enter the Indian Civil Service because of a heart murmurDaily Telegraph 2006, op. cit. (he lived to ninety-five), Usborne worked for many years in advertising and journalism.
In 1938, Usborne married Monica Stuart MacArthur, originally from New Mexico
. She died in 1986. They had a son and a daughter.
During the Second World War, he served in the Middle East for the Special Operations Executive
and was later in the Political Warfare Executive
.
In 1948, Usborne became assistant editor of the Strand Magazine
, then edited by Macdonald Hastings
(which had published, from 1891, the short stories of Arthur Conan Doyle
, creator of Sherlock Holmes
, and, from 1910, those of P. G. Wodehouse
). When the Strand closed in 1950, Usborne wrote for a number of other newspapers and journals, including Punch
magazine, The Guardian
, The Times
of London, and the Times Literary Supplement.
Richard Usborne died on 21 March 1996.
In 1973, Usborne contributed to Homage to P. G. Wodehouse, a tribute edited by Thelma Cazalet-Keir
(1899–1989), a former Conservative
Member of Parliament
, who was sister-in-law of Wodehouse's late stepdaughter Leonora. He also annotated Wodehouse's final, unfinished novel, which was published as Sunset at Blandings
in 1977, noting that "if the going had remained good Sunset at Blandings might, under another title, have been ready for Christmas 1976". Usborne's invitation to the cartographer and Bradshaw
expert Colonel Michael Cobb
to produce a report for Sunset at Blandings on what the information about train timetables in Wodehouse's novels suggested about the location of Blandings Castle
led to Cobb's study of Britain's railways that culminated in The Railways of Great Britain: A Historical Atlas (2004).
Wodehouse at Work to the End and Plum Sauce contained diverting appendices about translations of Wodehouse into French. Examples of such vocabulary included pourvu de galette ("oofy"), déchiqueter ("to tear limb from limb"), and l'horrible drame de Steeple Bumpleigh ("the Steeple Bumpleigh horror").
, 'Sapper
', and John Buchan, upper middle class
novelists whose works he had first read during childhood illnesses. He published a study of their work, Clubland Heroes, in 1953. Yates (pseudonym of Major William Mercer), who, as the only survivor of the trio, was living in Southern Rhodesia
(now Zimbabwe
), evidently resented Usborne's interest and wrote to him, through solicitors, that "never has the whip been laid to my back".
.Usborne 1976, op. cit. Wodehouse cooperated with Usborne in the latter's preparation of Wodehouse at Work, although he destroyed a draft chapter on his controversial wartime activities, of which Usborne had not retained a copy, and this never appeared. Their contact was almost entirely by correspondence and they met only once, when Usborne visited Wodehouse and his wife Ethel at their home on Long Island
, New York, in 1971 (the year that Wodehouse reached the age of ninety).
P. G. Wodehouse
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE was an English humorist, whose body of work includes novels, short stories, plays, poems, song lyrics, and numerous pieces of journalism. He enjoyed enormous popular success during a career that lasted more than seventy years and his many writings continue to be...
(1881–1975).
Background and career
In 1910, Richard Usborne was born on 16 May in the PunjabPunjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
, in British India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, the son of a civil servant. He was educated in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
at Summer Fields, Charterhouse
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
and Balliol College, Oxford.
After failing to enter the Indian Civil Service because of a heart murmurDaily Telegraph 2006, op. cit. (he lived to ninety-five), Usborne worked for many years in advertising and journalism.
In 1938, Usborne married Monica Stuart MacArthur, originally from New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. She died in 1986. They had a son and a daughter.
During the Second World War, he served in the Middle East for the Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
and was later in the Political Warfare Executive
Political Warfare Executive
During World War II, the Political Warfare Executive was a British clandestine body created to produce and disseminate both white and black propaganda, with the aim of damaging enemy morale and sustaining the morale of the Occupied countries....
.
In 1948, Usborne became assistant editor of the Strand Magazine
Strand Magazine
The Strand Magazine was a monthly magazine composed of fictional stories and factual articles founded by George Newnes. It was first published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950 running to 711 issues, though the first issue was on sale well before Christmas 1890.Its immediate...
, then edited by Macdonald Hastings
Macdonald Hastings
Douglas Edward Macdonald Hastings was a British journalist, author and war correspondent.Macdonald Hastings was born in London, and educated at Stonyhurst College, a Roman Catholic Jesuit school in Lancashire. He became war correspondent for Picture Post during the Second World War, sending...
(which had published, from 1891, the short stories of Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
, creator of Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
, and, from 1910, those of P. G. Wodehouse
P. G. Wodehouse
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE was an English humorist, whose body of work includes novels, short stories, plays, poems, song lyrics, and numerous pieces of journalism. He enjoyed enormous popular success during a career that lasted more than seventy years and his many writings continue to be...
). When the Strand closed in 1950, Usborne wrote for a number of other newspapers and journals, including Punch
Punch (magazine)
Punch, or the London Charivari was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire established in 1841 by Henry Mayhew and engraver Ebenezer Landells. Historically, it was most influential in the 1840s and 50s, when it helped to coin the term "cartoon" in its modern sense as a humorous illustration...
magazine, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
of London, and the Times Literary Supplement.
Richard Usborne died on 21 March 1996.
P. G. Wodehouse
Usborne's various published works about Wodehouse included:- Wodehouse at Work (1961), a wide-ranging study of JeevesJeevesReginald Jeeves is a fictional character in the short stories and novels of P. G. Wodehouse, being the valet of Bertie Wooster . Created in 1915, Jeeves would continue to appear in Wodehouse's works until his final, completed, novel Aunts Aren't Gentlemen in 1974, making him Wodehouse's most famous...
, Bertie WoosterBertie WoosterBertram Wilberforce "Bertie" Wooster is a recurring fictional character in the Jeeves novels of British author P. G. Wodehouse. An English gentleman, one of the "idle rich" and a member of the Drones Club, he appears alongside his valet, Jeeves, whose genius manages to extricate Bertie or one of...
, PsmithPsmithRupert Psmith is a recurring fictional character in several novels by British comic writer P. G...
, Ukridge, Lord EmsworthLord EmsworthClarence Threepwood, 9th Earl of Emsworth, or Lord Emsworth, is a recurring fictional character in the Blandings stories by British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse. He is the amiable and somewhat absent-minded head of the large Threepwood family...
and other Wodehousian characters; - Wodehouse at Work to the End (1976), the revised edition after Wodehouse's death in 1975;
- Vintage Wodehouse (1977), an anthologyAnthologyAn anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
which, among many other items, included extracts from some of the broadcasts that Wodehouse made from BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in 1941 after his release from internment by the Germans during the Second World War; - Wodehouse Nuggets (1983), a collection of Wodehouse quotations and vignettes, with illustrations from the Strand Magazine; and
- Plum Sauce (2002) (whose title derived from Wodehouse's nickname), an illustrated companion that drew on much of Usborne's earlier material.
In 1973, Usborne contributed to Homage to P. G. Wodehouse, a tribute edited by Thelma Cazalet-Keir
Thelma Cazalet-Keir
Thelma Cazalet-Keir CBE, née Cazalet, was a British feminist and Conservative Party politician.She was born in London, the third child and only daughter of William Marshall Cazalet , and Maud Lucia née Heron-Maxwell...
(1899–1989), a former Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, who was sister-in-law of Wodehouse's late stepdaughter Leonora. He also annotated Wodehouse's final, unfinished novel, which was published as Sunset at Blandings
Sunset at Blandings
Sunset at Blandings is an unfinished novel by P. G. Wodehouse.-Publication history:The book was first published in the United Kingdom on November 17, 1977 by Chatto & Windus, London and in the United States on September 7, 1978 by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York. The book was republished by...
in 1977, noting that "if the going had remained good Sunset at Blandings might, under another title, have been ready for Christmas 1976". Usborne's invitation to the cartographer and Bradshaw
George Bradshaw
George Bradshaw was an English cartographer, printer and publisher. He is best known for developing the most successful and longest published series of combined railway timetables.-Biography:...
expert Colonel Michael Cobb
Michael Cobb (railway historian)
Michael Cobb PhD FRICS was a British Army officer and railway historian who served in the Second World War and later became the oldest person ever to be awarded a PhD from the University of Cambridge in 2008, for his work "The Railways of Great Britain: A Historical Atlas" which set out to map and...
to produce a report for Sunset at Blandings on what the information about train timetables in Wodehouse's novels suggested about the location of Blandings Castle
Blandings Castle
Blandings Castle is a recurring fictional location in the stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being the seat of Lord Emsworth , home to many of his family, and setting for numerous tales and adventures, written between 1915 and 1975.The series of stories which take place at the castle,...
led to Cobb's study of Britain's railways that culminated in The Railways of Great Britain: A Historical Atlas (2004).
Wodehouse at Work to the End and Plum Sauce contained diverting appendices about translations of Wodehouse into French. Examples of such vocabulary included pourvu de galette ("oofy"), déchiqueter ("to tear limb from limb"), and l'horrible drame de Steeple Bumpleigh ("the Steeple Bumpleigh horror").
Clubland Heroes
Usborne was also a devotee of Dornford YatesDornford Yates
Dornford Yates was the pseudonym of the British novelist, Cecil William Mercer , whose novels and short stories, some humorous , some thrillers , were best-sellers in the 21-year interwar period between the First and Second world wars.The pen name, Dornford Yates, first in print in 1910, resulted...
, 'Sapper
H. C. McNeile
Cyril McNeile MC was a British author, who published under the pen name Sapper.He was one of the most successful British popular authors of the Interwar period; his principal character was Bulldog Drummond.-Biography:Cyril McNeile was born in 1888 at Bodmin in Cornwall...
', and John Buchan, upper middle class
Upper middle class
The upper middle class is a sociological concept referring to the social group constituted by higher-status members of the middle class. This is in contrast to the term "lower middle class", which is used for the group at the opposite end of the middle class stratum, and to the broader term "middle...
novelists whose works he had first read during childhood illnesses. He published a study of their work, Clubland Heroes, in 1953. Yates (pseudonym of Major William Mercer), who, as the only survivor of the trio, was living in Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated north of the Limpopo River and the Union of South Africa. From its independence in 1965 until its extinction in 1980, it was known as Rhodesia...
(now Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
), evidently resented Usborne's interest and wrote to him, through solicitors, that "never has the whip been laid to my back".
Usborne and Wodehouse
Wodehouse once referred to "a certain learned Usborne" in a conversation with journalist and broadcaster Alistair CookeAlistair Cooke
Alfred Alistair Cooke KBE was a British/American journalist, television personality and broadcaster. Outside his journalistic output, which included Letter from America and Alistair Cooke's America, he was well known in the United States as the host of PBS Masterpiece Theater from 1971 to 1992...
.Usborne 1976, op. cit. Wodehouse cooperated with Usborne in the latter's preparation of Wodehouse at Work, although he destroyed a draft chapter on his controversial wartime activities, of which Usborne had not retained a copy, and this never appeared. Their contact was almost entirely by correspondence and they met only once, when Usborne visited Wodehouse and his wife Ethel at their home on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, New York, in 1971 (the year that Wodehouse reached the age of ninety).