author
E. T. Raymond
1872–1928
A sharp-eyed British journalist and biographer, he wrote lively portraits of the public figures who shaped late Victorian and early 20th-century Britain. His books mix political history with an easy, readable sense of personality.
1 Audiobook
Portraits of the Nineties
by E. T. Raymond
About the author
E. T. Raymond was the pen name of Edward Raymond Thompson, a British journalist and author born in 1872 and active in London literary and newspaper circles. Contemporary reports identify him as chief editor of the Evening Standard, and he became known for writing about prominent public figures in a style that aimed to be vivid, direct, and accessible.
His books show a strong interest in politics, reputation, and character. Confirmed works include Uncensored Celebrities, Mr. Balfour, Mr. Lloyd George, The Life of Lord Rosebery, Disraeli: The Alien Patriot, Portraits of the Nineties, and Portraits of the New Century (the First Ten Years). Rather than writing fiction, he seems to have focused mainly on biography, sketches of well-known personalities, and reflective studies of recent British history.
Raymond died in 1928. What still makes his work appealing is the combination of journalism and portraiture: he wrote close enough to his subjects to catch the tone of an era, but with enough distance to turn current affairs into engaging character studies.