author
Q. K. Philander Doesticks
1831–1875
Best known by the comic pen name Q. K. Philander Doesticks, this American journalist and humorist mixed lively satire with sharp commentary on public life in the mid-1800s. His writing helped make him a recognizable newspaper voice in New York before his career was cut short in 1875.
5 Audiobooks
Doesticks: What He Says
by Q. K. Philander Doesticks
What Became of the Slaves on a Georgia Plantation? Great Auction Sale of Slaves, at Savannah, Georgia, March 2d & 3d, 1859
by Q. K. Philander Doesticks
The Witches of New York
by Q. K. Philander Doesticks
Nothing to Say A Slight Slap at Mobocratic Snobbery, Which Has 'Nothing to Do' with 'Nothing to Wear'
by Q. K. Philander Doesticks
The History and Records of the Elephant Club
by Edward F. (Edward Fitch) Underhill, Q. K. Philander Doesticks
About the author
Born Mortimer Neal Thomson on September 2, 1831, in Riga, New York, he grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan and later wrote under the pseudonym Q. K. Philander Doesticks. He attended the University of Michigan but did not graduate, and the playful pen name that made him famous grew out of his early writing.
Thomson became known as an American journalist, humorist, and lecturer. He joined the staff of the New York Tribune in the 1850s, where his verse and prose brought him a wide readership. During the Civil War, he also worked as a war correspondent, adding a more serious side to a career often remembered for comic writing.
He published popular humorous works including Doesticks: What He Says, Nothing to Say, and The Witches of New York. Even when he was being funny, his work reflected the fast-moving newspaper culture of his time. He died in New York City on June 25, 1875, at just 43 years old.