"Memoirs of Sir Wemyss Reid 1842-1885" by Stuart J Reid depicts a portion of the interesting life of Thomas Wemyss Reid, a noted novelist and editor. Written as a sort of autobiography that was compiled and edited by Stuart Reid, the book goes tells the tale of a man who set his sights on what he wanted and made sure to do what he needed to in order to achieve his goals.

Samuel Johnson, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Hazlitt and Charles Dickens all worked as parliamentary reporters, but their experiences in the press gallery have not received much scrutiny. Nikki Hessell's study is the first work to consider all four of these canonical writers as gallery reporters, providing a detailed picture of this intriguing episode in their careers. Hessell challenges preconceived notions about the role that emergent literary genius played in their success as reporters, arguing instead that they were consummate gallery professionals who adapted themselves to the journalistic standards of their day. That professional background fed in to their creative work in unexpected ways. By drawing on a wealth of evidence in letters, diaries and the press, this study provides fresh insights into the ways in which four great writers learnt the craft of journalism and brought those lessons to bear on their career as literary authors.