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Biography for Beginners
The Art of Biography
Is different from Geography.
Geography is about Maps,
But Biography is about Chaps.
With these rhyming lines, English novelist and humorist Edmund Clerihew Bentley introduces this book and an unusual form of verse of his own invention. Bentley's four-line poems, known as "clerihews," offer satirical views of historical figures, from Edward the Confessor and Odo of Bayeux to Sir Walter Raleigh, Jane Austen, Karl Marx, Theodore Roosevelt, and many others. The witty verses are accompanied by the book's outstanding feature: whimsical full-page illustrations by G. K. Chesterton.
Is different from Geography.
Geography is about Maps,
But Biography is about Chaps.
With these rhyming lines, English novelist and humorist Edmund Clerihew Bentley introduces this book and an unusual form of verse of his own invention. Bentley's four-line poems, known as "clerihews," offer satirical views of historical figures, from Edward the Confessor and Odo of Bayeux to Sir Walter Raleigh, Jane Austen, Karl Marx, Theodore Roosevelt, and many others. The witty verses are accompanied by the book's outstanding feature: whimsical full-page illustrations by G. K. Chesterton.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1905
3 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
E.C. Bentley
82 books46 followersE. C. Bentley (full name Edmund Clerihew Bentley; 10 July 1875 – 30 March 1956) was a popular English novelist and humorist of the early twentieth century, and the inventor of the clerihew, an irregular form of humorous verse on biographical topics. One of the best known is this (1905):
Sir Christopher Wren
Said, "I am going to dine with some men.
If anyone calls
Say I am designing St. Paul's."
Bentley was born in London and educated at St Paul's School and Merton College, Oxford. His father, John Edmund Bentley, was professionally a civil servant but was also a rugby union international having played in the first ever international match for England against Scotland in 1871. Bentley worked as a journalist on several newspapers, including the Daily Telegraph.[citation needed] He also worked for the imperialist weekly called The Outlook during the editorship of James Louis Garvin. His first published collection of poetry, titled Biography for Beginners (1905), popularized the clerihew form; it was followed by two other collections, More Biography (1929) and Baseless Biography (1939).[2] His detective novel, Trent's Last Case (1913),[4] was much praised, numbering Dorothy L. Sayers among its admirers, and with its labyrinthine and mystifying plotting can be seen as the first truly modern mystery. It was adapted as a film in 1920, 1929, and 1952. The success of the work inspired him, after 23 years, to write a sequel, Trent's Own Case (1936). There was also a book of Trent short stories, Trent Intervenes. Several of his books were reprinted in the early 2000s by House of Stratus.
From 1936 until 1949 Bentley was president of the Detection Club. He contributed to two crime stories for the club's radio serials broadcast in 1930 and 1931,[5] which were published in 1983 as The Scoop and Behind The Screen. In 1950 he contributed the introduction to a Constable & Co omnibus edition of Damon Runyon's "stories of the bandits of Broadway", which was republished by Penguin Books in 1990 as On Broadway.
He died in 1956 in London at the age of 80. His son Nicolas Bentley was a famous illustrator.
Phonographic recordings of his work "Recordings for the Blind" are heard in the movie Places in the Heart, by the character Mr. Will.
G. K. Chesterton dedicated his popular detective novel on anarchist terrorism, The Man Who Was Thursday, to Edmund Clerihew Bentley, a schoolfriend.
(from Wikipedia)
Sir Christopher Wren
Said, "I am going to dine with some men.
If anyone calls
Say I am designing St. Paul's."
Bentley was born in London and educated at St Paul's School and Merton College, Oxford. His father, John Edmund Bentley, was professionally a civil servant but was also a rugby union international having played in the first ever international match for England against Scotland in 1871. Bentley worked as a journalist on several newspapers, including the Daily Telegraph.[citation needed] He also worked for the imperialist weekly called The Outlook during the editorship of James Louis Garvin. His first published collection of poetry, titled Biography for Beginners (1905), popularized the clerihew form; it was followed by two other collections, More Biography (1929) and Baseless Biography (1939).[2] His detective novel, Trent's Last Case (1913),[4] was much praised, numbering Dorothy L. Sayers among its admirers, and with its labyrinthine and mystifying plotting can be seen as the first truly modern mystery. It was adapted as a film in 1920, 1929, and 1952. The success of the work inspired him, after 23 years, to write a sequel, Trent's Own Case (1936). There was also a book of Trent short stories, Trent Intervenes. Several of his books were reprinted in the early 2000s by House of Stratus.
From 1936 until 1949 Bentley was president of the Detection Club. He contributed to two crime stories for the club's radio serials broadcast in 1930 and 1931,[5] which were published in 1983 as The Scoop and Behind The Screen. In 1950 he contributed the introduction to a Constable & Co omnibus edition of Damon Runyon's "stories of the bandits of Broadway", which was republished by Penguin Books in 1990 as On Broadway.
He died in 1956 in London at the age of 80. His son Nicolas Bentley was a famous illustrator.
Phonographic recordings of his work "Recordings for the Blind" are heard in the movie Places in the Heart, by the character Mr. Will.
G. K. Chesterton dedicated his popular detective novel on anarchist terrorism, The Man Who Was Thursday, to Edmund Clerihew Bentley, a schoolfriend.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 11, 2015
A quick (10-minute) and hilarious read, worthwhile for the wonderful illustrations by GK Chesterton if nothing else.
Possibly favourite of the lot:
Karl Marx
Was completely wrapped up in his sharks.
The poor creatures seriously missed him
While he was attacking the capitalist system.
The Index was also a hoot. But what did poor Christopher Wren do to merit such odium?
Pop off now and read it here: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/46691/...
Possibly favourite of the lot:
Karl Marx
Was completely wrapped up in his sharks.
The poor creatures seriously missed him
While he was attacking the capitalist system.
The Index was also a hoot. But what did poor Christopher Wren do to merit such odium?
Pop off now and read it here: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/46691/...
July 17, 2014
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 2.5 of 5
This book is, as the bibliographical note states, "a republication of the third edition of the work originally published as Biography for Beginners: Being a Collection of Miscellaneous Examples for the Use of Upper Forms by T. Werner Laurie, London, in 1925."
It is my suspicion that Dover's republication of this is primarily for the 40 wonderful drawings by noted author G. K. Chesterton, given the number of other art-related titles in their republication catalog. The 'biographies' by Edmund Clerihew Bentley leave a little to be desired.
The biographies are actually four line poems (I understand they are referred to as "Clerihews") that sum up a famous life in a humorous fashion. They are clever and witty and typically outdated. Perhaps I underestimate the modern reader, but I think a great many of these people are unkown today. While we should certainly know Jane Austin, George Bernard Shaw, President Roosevelt, Edvard Grieg, Sir Walter Raleigh and likely know Sir Thomas à Mallory, Pizarro, Sir Christopher Wren, I wonder how many people know Lord Clive, the Rev. John Clifford M.A., L.L.B., D.D. or Mssrs Chapman and Hal, Mr. H. Belloc, or Besant and Rice?
Although clever, the 'clerihews' are really only fun if you already know the subject of the poem. In this case, the contents are clearly outdated (in ninety years, will anyone get references to Donald Rumsefeld, Colin Powell, or Lindsay Lohan?). The Chesterton cartoon drawings save this book. It doesn't matter whether or not you know the subject to appreciate the fine line sketches within.
Looking for a good book? There is some nice caricature art here by noted author G.K. Chesterton, but unless you have a special affinity for mostly obscure historical figures, this might not be the book for you.
This book is, as the bibliographical note states, "a republication of the third edition of the work originally published as Biography for Beginners: Being a Collection of Miscellaneous Examples for the Use of Upper Forms by T. Werner Laurie, London, in 1925."
It is my suspicion that Dover's republication of this is primarily for the 40 wonderful drawings by noted author G. K. Chesterton, given the number of other art-related titles in their republication catalog. The 'biographies' by Edmund Clerihew Bentley leave a little to be desired.
The biographies are actually four line poems (I understand they are referred to as "Clerihews") that sum up a famous life in a humorous fashion. They are clever and witty and typically outdated. Perhaps I underestimate the modern reader, but I think a great many of these people are unkown today. While we should certainly know Jane Austin, George Bernard Shaw, President Roosevelt, Edvard Grieg, Sir Walter Raleigh and likely know Sir Thomas à Mallory, Pizarro, Sir Christopher Wren, I wonder how many people know Lord Clive, the Rev. John Clifford M.A., L.L.B., D.D. or Mssrs Chapman and Hal, Mr. H. Belloc, or Besant and Rice?
Although clever, the 'clerihews' are really only fun if you already know the subject of the poem. In this case, the contents are clearly outdated (in ninety years, will anyone get references to Donald Rumsefeld, Colin Powell, or Lindsay Lohan?). The Chesterton cartoon drawings save this book. It doesn't matter whether or not you know the subject to appreciate the fine line sketches within.
Looking for a good book? There is some nice caricature art here by noted author G.K. Chesterton, but unless you have a special affinity for mostly obscure historical figures, this might not be the book for you.
June 18, 2023
Drie sterren voor het eerste gedicht over Wren. De rest mag van mij wel wegblijven 🙃
June 4, 2014
I wonder sometimes if there is such a thing as "smart laughs". What qualifies as a "smart laugh" really seems to be nothing more than obscure references.
This short book (it only takes 10 minutes to read) also might qualify. Bentley takes the greatest minds in history and compresses their lifework into smart ass absurd poetry.
This short book (it only takes 10 minutes to read) also might qualify. Bentley takes the greatest minds in history and compresses their lifework into smart ass absurd poetry.
March 12, 2015
My favorite kind of biography - one told in verse. :)
July 12, 2014
A collection of clerihews, a nonsense verse form invented by the author. The are comic biographies with the subjects name ending the first line. The lines have irregular length and a rhyme scheme of AABB.
The form originated with a clerihew celebrating Sir Humphrey Davy.
Sir Humphrey Davy
Abominated gravy.
He lived in the odium
Of having discovered Sodium.
The collection is illustrated by 40 comic caricature by Bentley's schoolboy friend G.K. Chesterton.
Non-fiction / Nonsense verse - subtitled: being a collection of miscellaneous examples for the use of upper forms. / Clerihews by E.C. Bentley, illustrated by G.K. Chesterton.
The form originated with a clerihew celebrating Sir Humphrey Davy.
Sir Humphrey Davy
Abominated gravy.
He lived in the odium
Of having discovered Sodium.
The collection is illustrated by 40 comic caricature by Bentley's schoolboy friend G.K. Chesterton.
Non-fiction / Nonsense verse - subtitled: being a collection of miscellaneous examples for the use of upper forms. / Clerihews by E.C. Bentley, illustrated by G.K. Chesterton.
February 21, 2023
I loved it.
Let me quote Bentley's Wikipedia entry: "Edmund Clerihew Bentley (10 July 1875 – 30 March 1956), who generally published under the names E. C. Bentley or E. Clerihew Bentley, was a popular English novelist and humorist, and inventor of the clerihew, an irregular form of humorous verse on biographical topics.."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_...
And that's what this book is. A collection of humorous verse about famous people.
My copy of the book has no publication date, but I believe it was published in 1905. It's truly a wonderful book. Buy a used copy, if you can, from 1905. It contains 40 illustrations by G. K. Chesterton.
Let me quote Bentley's Wikipedia entry: "Edmund Clerihew Bentley (10 July 1875 – 30 March 1956), who generally published under the names E. C. Bentley or E. Clerihew Bentley, was a popular English novelist and humorist, and inventor of the clerihew, an irregular form of humorous verse on biographical topics.."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_...
And that's what this book is. A collection of humorous verse about famous people.
My copy of the book has no publication date, but I believe it was published in 1905. It's truly a wonderful book. Buy a used copy, if you can, from 1905. It contains 40 illustrations by G. K. Chesterton.
June 15, 2014
Its a satirical book, humorous together with cartoon characters launching on the finer point of rhyming lines and a unusual form of verse.
July 29, 2016
Fun and silly, and I didn't know that Chesterton was an illustrator as well as an author. Again, the benefit of turning to google for the backstory on the subjects of Clerhew's pen.
January 30, 2018
Hilarious...nowhere near as "heavy" as some of his other works though...
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews