“Punch” Founder Lemon’s Juicy Comedy on Wordwaves.com

June 8, 2011 - PRLog -- Punch magazine was one of the longest running publication. Founded in 1841 it ran until it closed in 2002. So how did “Punch” get its name? Well according to the Punch website “The name was hit upon at an early meeting – someone remarked that the magazine should be like a good Punch mixture – nothing without Lemon (referring to Mark Lemon, the magazine’s first editor), whereupon Mayhew shouted “ A capital idea! Let us call the paper Punch!” see punch.co.uk.

So there was no Punch without Mark Lemon - the vital fist ingredient. http://www.wordwaves.com/book-author/mark-lemon

Mark Lemon Was No “Lemon”

As the first editor and subsequently founding owner, Mark Lemon supported the fledging magazine from the income from his plays. Punch started with an initial capital of just ₤25!

Satire and comedy were the order of the day and really no-one was spared. Punch boasted many famous writers as contributors such as Wodehouse and Thankeray.

Mark Lemon was not only the saviour of the new magazine, a fine editor but an author in his own right.

Enjoy the Zesty Writing of The Punch’s Mark Lemon

A fine example of his satirical writing and comic turn of phrase is his 1865 gem “The Jest Book” exposed at http://www.wordwaves.com/book-title/the-jest-book

Samples of his comic writing is as follows:

" An Irishman once ordered a painter to draw his picture, and to represent him standing behind a tree . "


" A lecturer, wishing to explain to a little girl the manner in which a lobster casts his shell when he has outgrown it, said, "What do you do when you have outgrown your clothes? "

" A gentleman was asked by Mrs Woffington, what difference there was between her and her watch; to which he instantly replied, "Your watch, madam, makes us remember the hours, and you make us forget them. "

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