Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch was born in 1863 in Cornwall. Knighted in 1910, the distinguished author whose pseudonym was "Q," was the King Edward Professor of English at Cambridge. Many of his novels featured Cornish themes, and were praised by critics and readers alike. Quiller-Couch was, for nearly forty years, the editor of The Oxford Book of English Verse. After a reversal of family fortunes, "Q" wrote and published more than 30 novels prior to 1900, many of which were well-plotted action and adventure tales in the spirit of Robert Louis Stevenson and H. Rider Haggard. Nicky-Nan, Reservist is one of "Q's" later books, an examination of character, rather than adventure. Published in 1915, Nicky-Nan is based on "Q's" experience recruiting young men to fight in the first World War. "Q" married his wife Louisa in 1888 -- their much-loved son Bevis fought in World War I and survived the battles, only to succumb to pneumonia after the war in 1919. This tragedy colored the remaining twenty-five years of "Q's" life, and as a result, Nicky-Nan is a much more spirited book, presenting the war effort in a much more kindly light than "Q" was able to muster after his son's death.

Author Biography

Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch (1863 - 1944) was a Cornish writer who published using the pseudonym Q. Although a prolific novelist, he is remembered mainly for the monumental publication The Oxford Book Of English Verse 1250-1900 (later extended to 1918) and for his literary criticism. He influenced many who never met him, including American writer Helene Hanff, author of 84, Charing Cross Road and its sequel, Q's Legacy. His Oxford Book of English Verse was a favorite of John Mortimer's fictional character Horace Rumpole.