Ralph Straus

Born in Manchester in 1882, Ralph Straus was educated at Harrow and at Pembroke College, Cambridge. He began publishing young, with his first novel appearing while he was still an undergraduate, and went on to build a career as both a novelist and a biographer.

He is especially associated with books on Charles Dickens, including Dickens, a Portrait in Pencil and Dickens, the Man and Book. Straus also wrote on figures from the history of publishing and printing, such as John Baskerville, Robert Dodsley, and Edmund Curll, showing a lasting interest in how books are made, sold, and remembered.

Alongside his books, he worked as a reviewer for periodicals including The Sunday Times and The Bystander. He died in 1950, leaving behind a varied body of work that blends storytelling, literary biography, and affection for the history of the book.