BRYANT, Mark 1953-

PERSONAL: Born October 18, 1953, in Woodyates, Dorset, England; son of Robert Bryant and Enid Bond (later Dena Bryant-Duncan). Education: London University, B.A., 1975; University of Kent, Ph.D., 2003.

ADDRESSES: Offıce—P. O. Box 6026, London SW2 5XT, England. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Literary and academic book editor until1987; freelance writer, editor, journalist, and lecturer, 1987—. Curator of exhibitions of cartoons and caricatures and lecturer on history of cartoons and caricature in Great Britain and elsewhere; journalist.

MEMBER: British Cartoonists' Association (honorary secretary, 1992-99, vice president, 1999-2000), London Press Club (former director and company secretary; currently honorary secretary).

AWARDS, HONORS: Special Commendation, Specialist Reference Book of the Year Award, 1990, for Dictionary of Riddles.

WRITINGS:

Riddles: Ancient and Modern, Hutchinson (London, England), 1983, Harper (New York, NY), 1984, expanded edition published as Dictionary of Riddles, Routledge (New York, NY), 1990.

(With Simon Heneage) Dictionary of British Cartoonists and Caricaturists, 1730-1980, Ashgate (Brookfield, VT), 1994.

Private Lives: Curious Facts about the Famous andInfamous, Cassell (New York, NY), 1996, illustrated edition published as Private Lives: A True Compendium of Curious Facts, Bizarre Habits, and Fascinating Anecdotes about the Famous and Infamous, 2001.

Dictionary of Twentieth-Century British Cartoonists and Caricaturists, Ashgate (Brookfield, VT), 2000.

Editor of more than thirty short story and cartoon collections, including The Complete Colonel Blimp, Vicky's Supermac, H. M. Bateman, Nicolas Bentley, and The Comic Cruikshank. General editor, "Cartoon Library"; series editor, "Prion Cartoon Classics"; member of editorial board, International Journal of Comic Art; editor of London Press Club's Press News. Contributor of entries and articles about cartoonists and caricaturists to Oxford New Dictionary of National Biography, Encarta, World Encyclopedia of the Press, Art Quarterly, Guardian, Independent, Parliamentary Brief, The Lady, Journal of European Studies, and Magya Media. Advisor on cartoonists and caricturists for New Dictionary of National Biography.

SIDELIGHTS: Mark Bryant has edited and written numerous books about British cartoonists and caricaturists and has also mounted exhibits of political and popular cartoons and caricatures. According to J. A. Lent in Choice, Bryant "has served British cartooning well" through his works on the subject. Albion contributor Peter Mellini felt that the author's two dictionaries, Dictionary of British Cartoonists and Caricaturists, 1730-1980 and Dictionary of Twentieth-Century British Cartoonists and Caricaturists, together provide "aficionados, academics, journalists, and writers with a plethora of useful information about the creators of a vital art form."

Bryant has also published a book of riddles that spans all historical eras and many cultures. Dictionary of Riddles contains a history of riddling and a compilation of 1,500 riddles, from the childish to the profound. Joan Digby in Library Journal found the revised edition, Riddles: Ancient and Modern to be "an immensely entertaining compendium" and praised the book's "scholarship without pretension." In the Times Educational Supplement, Kevin Crossley-Holland wrote of the same title: "Bryant's riddle-history is a cavalcade of great civilizations and illustrious names."

Bryant's other books include Private Lives: A True Compendium of Curious Facts, Bizarre Habits, and Fascinating Anecdotes about the Famous and Infamous. As its title suggests, this book offers vignettes about historical figures and their sometimes eccentric behavior. D. C. Dickinson in Choice described Private Lives as "thoroughly entertaining . . . unique and appealing."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Albion, fall, 1995, Roy T. Matthews, review of Dictionary of British Cartoonists and Caricaturists, 1730-1980, pp. 511-512; fall, 2001, Peter Mellini, review of Dictionary of Twentieth-Century British Cartoonists and Caricaturists, pp. 529-530.

Choice, March, 1995, J. A. Lent, review of Dictionary of British Cartoonists and Caricaturists, 1730-1980, pp. 1074-1075; November, 2000, J. A. Lent, review of Dictionary of Twentieth-Century British Cartoonists and Caricaturists, p. 502; July-August, 2002, D. C. Dickinson, review of Private Lives: A True Compendium of Curious Facts, Bizarre Habits, and Fascinating Anecdotes about the Famous and Infamous, p. 1927.

Library Journal, June 15, 1984, Joan Digby, review of Riddles: Ancient and Modern, p. 1241.

New York Times Book Review, June 24, 1984, John Gross, review of Riddles: Ancient and Modern, p. 14.

Observer, September 25, 1994, review of Dictionary of Riddles, p. 22.

Time, May 21, 1984, Stefan Kanfer, review of Riddles:Ancient and Modern, p. 88.

Times Educational Supplement, March 16, 1984, Kevin Crossely-Holland, review of Riddles: Ancient and Modern, p. 32.

Times Literary Supplement, November 24, 2000, Ruari McLean, "Funny Looks," p. 35.