Brian Maidment obituary

The Guardian

13-03-2025

My husband, Brian Maidment, who has died aged 78, enjoyed a lengthy teaching career across a range of higher education institutions, before retiring as emeritus professor in the history of print at Liverpool John Moores University.
An expert on the social history of the Georgian and Victorian eras – in particular as seen through downmarket illustrated books, prints and ephemera – among his various books were Dusty Bob: A Cultural History of Dustmen, 1780–1870, published in 2007, and Comedy, Caricature and the Social Order, 1820–50 (2013), which offered a survey of little-known visual humour from the late Regency period and described the inventiveness and vitality of cheap illustrated texts from that time.
A leading figure in research on Victorian periodicals, he was president of the Research Society for Victorian Periodicals between 2018 and 2020.
Brian was born in Lyndhurst, Hampshire, to Harry, an administrator at an armaments depot in Southampton, and his wife, Gladys (nee Brookbanks). After King Edward's school in Southampton he gained a first class English degree at University College of North Wales (now University of Wales Bangor), followed by a master's there and a PhD at the University of Leicester, based on the works of John Ruskin.
He began his academic career as a tutorial assistant at Leicester (1970-72) before moving to Aberystwyth University to be a lecturer in English (1972-73), followed by 27 years at Manchester Polytechnic (now Manchester Metropolitan University) as an English lecturer and course leader (1973-90).
While at Manchester Polytechnic Brian edited an anthology, The Poorhouse Fugitives: Self Taught Poets and Poetry in Victorian Britain (1989), which was influential in making writing by labouring class authors available for study.
He then had six years at Edge Hill College (now University) in Lancashire first as head of English and then as professor (1990-96), before eight years as professor of English at the University of Huddersfield (1993-2001) and 11 years at Salford University as research professor in the history of print culture (2001-12). During his time at Salford Brian also developed a programme on the history of graphic humour in collaboration with the Lewis Walpole Library at Yale University in the US.
His final stint was at Liverpool John Moores until his retirement in 2018; he demonstrated great kindness and generosity with his time, ideas and encouragement across all the posts he held over the years.
His last book, published in 2021, was the first full-length study of one of Charles Dickens's early illustrators, Robert Seymour. Brian amassed a formidable collection of books, prints and ephemera, parts of which have found their way into specialist resources at Nottingham Trent, Manchester Metropolitan, Liverpool John Moores and Yale universities.
Brian was a lifelong cyclist and in retirement also took up crown green bowling, as well as voluntary roles for the Trinity Hospice and for Friends of the Lytham Art Collection.
Brian and I married in 1995. He is survived by me, a daughter, Alannah, from his first marriage, which ended in divorce, and a grandson, Nathan.