BROOKS, CHARLES WILLIAM SHIRLEY (1816 74) , English novelist, playwright and journalist, was born in Lon don April 29 1816, and died there Feb. 23 1874. He wrote, sometimes alone, sometimes in conjunction with others, slight dramatic pieces of the burlesque kind, among which may be mentioned Anything for a Change (1848) and The Daughter of the Stars (185o). In 1851 Brooks joined the staff of Punch, and noteworthy among his numerous contributions were the weekly satirical summaries of the parliamentary debates, entitled "The Essence of Parliament." In 187o, on the death of Mark Lemon, "dear old Shirley," as his friends used to call him, was chosen to succeed to the editorial chair. His first novel, Aspen Court, was published in 1855. It was followed by The Gordian Knot (186o), The Silver Cord (1861), and Sooner or Later (1868). Brooks had an astonishing memory, was brilliant as an epigrammatist, was a great reader and a most genial companion.
See G. S. Layard, A Great "Punch" Editor: Being the Life, Letters and Diaries of Shirley Brooks (19o7).