author
A. P. (Alan Patrick) Herbert
1890–1971
Best remembered for sparkling wit and sharp common sense, this English writer turned legal absurdities and public life into comedy that still feels fresh. He wrote across novels, plays, poetry, and essays while also using Parliament to push for practical reform.
3 Audiobooks
The Secret Battle
by A. P. (Alan Patrick) Herbert
The House by the River
by A. P. (Alan Patrick) Herbert
Little rays of moonshine
by A. P. (Alan Patrick) Herbert
About the author
Born in Surrey in 1890, A. P. Herbert studied at Winchester and New College, Oxford, and went on to become one of Britain's best-known humorous writers. He served in the Royal Naval Division during the First World War, an experience that shaped some of his early writing as well as his public outlook.
Herbert wrote novels, plays, poems, and essays, but he is especially associated with the comic legal pieces later collected in Uncommon Law. His work for Punch helped make him a familiar literary voice, blending satire with a strong dislike of nonsense, pomposity, and unfairness.
He was also active in politics, serving as the independent Member of Parliament for Oxford University from 1935 to 1950. Alongside his writing, he became known as an energetic campaigner for law reform, especially on divorce law, giving his career an unusual mix of entertainment, public service, and plain-speaking advocacy.