Henry Vizetelly
Encyclopedia
Henry Richard Vizetelly was an English publisher, the son of a printer. He was early apprenticed as a wood engraver, and one of his first blocks was a portrait of Old Parr
.
Encouraged by the success of the Illustrated London News
, Vizetelly in 1843; with his brother James Thomas Vizetelly (1817-1897) and Andrew Spottiswoode (1787-1866), started the Pictorial Times, which was published successfully for several years. In 1855, in partnership with David Bogue (1812-1856), he started a three-penny paper called the Illustrated Times, which four years later was merged in the Penny Illustrated Paper. His other brother, Frank Vizetelly (1830-1883) was a war artist
for both sides during the American Civil War
and went to Egypt
as war correspondent for the Illustrated London News. He was never heard of after the massacre of Hicks Pasha
's army in Kordofan.
In 1865 Vizetelly became Paris correspondent for the Illustrated London News
. During the years he remained in Paris
he published several books: Paris in Peril (1882), The Story of the Diamond Necklace (1867) and a free translation of Marius Topin's L'homme au masque de fer (1870) under the title The Man in the Iron Mask.
In 1872 he was transferred to Berlin
, where he wrote Berlin under the New Empire (1879). In 1887 he established a publishing house in London, issuing numerous translations of French and Russian authors. In 1888 he was prosecuted for obscene libel
for his translation of Zola
's La Terre
(The Earth), and was fined £100; and when he reissued Zola's works in 1889 he was again prosecuted, fined £200, and imprisoned for three months.
In 1893 he wrote a volume of autobiographical reminiscence called Glances Back through Seventy Years, a graphic picture of literary Bohemia in Paris and London between 1840 and 1870. He died on 1 January 1894 at "Heatherlands", Tilford
, near Farnham in Surrey.
Henry Vizetelly's interest in wines led to the creation of two books. The Wines of the World Characterized & Classed: with some particulars respecting the beers of Europe was published in 1875 and Facts About Champagne and Other Sparkling Wines Collected During Numerous Visits to the Champagne and Other Viticultural Districts of France, and the Principal Remaining Wine-Producing Countries of Europe was published in 1879. He was Wine Juror for Great Britain at the Vienna and Paris Exhibitions of 1873 and 1878.
He had four sons by his first wife, notably Ernest Alfred Vizetelly
(1853-1922) who reworked some of his father's Zola translations and published these bowdlerized versions in the 1890s. By his second wife, Elizabeth Anne Ansell, he had a daughter and a son, Frank Horace Vizetelly
(1864-1938), who was a lexicographer, etymologist and editor
.
Thomas Parr
Thomas Parr was an English supercentenarian who is claimed to have lived for 152 years. He is often referred to simply as Old Parr or Old Tom Parr.-Biography:...
.
Encouraged by the success of the Illustrated London News
Illustrated London News
The Illustrated London News was the world's first illustrated weekly newspaper; the first issue appeared on Saturday 14 May 1842. It was published weekly until 1971 and then increasingly less frequently until publication ceased in 2003.-History:...
, Vizetelly in 1843; with his brother James Thomas Vizetelly (1817-1897) and Andrew Spottiswoode (1787-1866), started the Pictorial Times, which was published successfully for several years. In 1855, in partnership with David Bogue (1812-1856), he started a three-penny paper called the Illustrated Times, which four years later was merged in the Penny Illustrated Paper. His other brother, Frank Vizetelly (1830-1883) was a war artist
War artist
A war artist depicts some aspect of war through art; this might be a pictorial record or it might commemorate how "war shapes lives." War artists have explored a visual and sensory dimension of war which is often absent in written histories or other accounts of warfare.- Definition and context:A...
for both sides during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and went to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
as war correspondent for the Illustrated London News. He was never heard of after the massacre of Hicks Pasha
William Hicks
Colonel William Hicks , British soldier, entered the Bombay army in 1849, and served through the Indian mutiny, being mentioned in despatches for good conduct at the action of Sitka Ghaut in 1859....
's army in Kordofan.
In 1865 Vizetelly became Paris correspondent for the Illustrated London News
Illustrated London News
The Illustrated London News was the world's first illustrated weekly newspaper; the first issue appeared on Saturday 14 May 1842. It was published weekly until 1971 and then increasingly less frequently until publication ceased in 2003.-History:...
. During the years he remained in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
he published several books: Paris in Peril (1882), The Story of the Diamond Necklace (1867) and a free translation of Marius Topin's L'homme au masque de fer (1870) under the title The Man in the Iron Mask.
In 1872 he was transferred to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, where he wrote Berlin under the New Empire (1879). In 1887 he established a publishing house in London, issuing numerous translations of French and Russian authors. In 1888 he was prosecuted for obscene libel
Obscene libel
The publication of an obscene libel was an offence under the common law of England. Prior to the abolition by of the Criminal Law Act 1967 of the distinction between felony and misdemeanour, it was regarded as a misdemeanour...
for his translation of Zola
Émile Zola
Émile François Zola was a French writer, the most important exemplar of the literary school of naturalism and an important contributor to the development of theatrical naturalism...
's La Terre
La Terre
La Terre is a novel by Émile Zola, published in 1887. It is the fifteenth novel in Zola's Rougon-Macquart series. The action takes place in a rural community in La Beauce, an area of northern France...
(The Earth), and was fined £100; and when he reissued Zola's works in 1889 he was again prosecuted, fined £200, and imprisoned for three months.
In 1893 he wrote a volume of autobiographical reminiscence called Glances Back through Seventy Years, a graphic picture of literary Bohemia in Paris and London between 1840 and 1870. He died on 1 January 1894 at "Heatherlands", Tilford
Tilford
Tilford is a small village about two miles south of Farnham in Surrey, England. It lies within the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty- History :The name "Tilford" is probably derived from "Tila's ford" or "Tilla's ford"....
, near Farnham in Surrey.
Henry Vizetelly's interest in wines led to the creation of two books. The Wines of the World Characterized & Classed: with some particulars respecting the beers of Europe was published in 1875 and Facts About Champagne and Other Sparkling Wines Collected During Numerous Visits to the Champagne and Other Viticultural Districts of France, and the Principal Remaining Wine-Producing Countries of Europe was published in 1879. He was Wine Juror for Great Britain at the Vienna and Paris Exhibitions of 1873 and 1878.
He had four sons by his first wife, notably Ernest Alfred Vizetelly
Ernest Alfred Vizetelly
Ernest Alfred Vizetelly , author, son of English publisher Henry Vizetelly. Ernest re-published some of his fathers works about Emile Zola but modified them...
(1853-1922) who reworked some of his father's Zola translations and published these bowdlerized versions in the 1890s. By his second wife, Elizabeth Anne Ansell, he had a daughter and a son, Frank Horace Vizetelly
Frank Horace Vizetelly
-Life:Vizetelly was born April 2, 1864, in England, the only son of Henry Vizetelly and his second wife, Elizabeth Anne Ansell. His half-brother was Ernest Alfred Vizetelly...
(1864-1938), who was a lexicographer, etymologist and editor
Editor
The term editor may refer to:As a person who does editing:* Editor in chief, having final responsibility for a publication's operations and policies* Copy editing, making formatting changes and other improvements to text...
.
External links
- Thomas Seccombe, ‘Vizetelly, Henry Richard (1820–1894)’, rev. P. D. Edwards, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 2 Jan 2008