Author: Joseph Verey
Author: Joseph Verey (1826–1912)
Alternate Name(s): Veary (alternate name)
Biography: Joseph Verey was born on 30 October 1826 in Stadhampton. He came from humble origins, his father was the town's blacksmith. Verey himself worked as a tavern keeper before moving to London as a journalist where he reviewed opera and music and wrote three collections of poetry. His first novel, Up in the Clouds (1861), was dedicated to Wilkie Collins "from a self-educated author" and all his fiction shows the influence of sensation fiction. For instance, Lost Footsteps (1869) includes adultery, forgery, murder, and suicide. In 1850 he married and the couple had two children. By the 1860s, he was failing to support his family by his pen so he took a position as a commercial traveller and applied successfully to the Royal Literary Fund. By the late 1870s he abandoned fiction writing altogether. He died in 1912. In 1920, his unmarried daughter successfully applied to the Royal Literary Fund.
Author Tags:
References: British Census (1851, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1911); RLF (case number 1701)
Fiction Titles:
- Tales for the Twilight. 1 vol. London: James Blackwood, 1858.
- Tinsel or Gold: A Fireside Story. 1 vol. London: James Blackwood, 1860.
- Up in the Clouds. 1 vol. London: C. H. Clarke, 1861.
- Roland the Painter: A Romance of Artist Life. 1 vol. London: Ward and Lock, 1862.
- Who Was to Blame?: A Novel. 2 vol. London: John Maxwell, 1865.
- Martyrs to Fashion: A Novel. 3 vol. London: Tinsley Brothers, 1868.
- Lost Footsteps: A Novel. 3 vol. London: Tinsley Brothers, 1869.
- Tender Tyrants: A Novel. 3 vol. London: Tinsley Brothers, 1872.