Nicholas Lamert Luard (26 June 1937 Hampstead, London – 25 May 2004 Kensington, London) was a writer and politician. Background He was educated at Winchester College and Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he read English and was taught by F. R. Leavis. He met Peter Cook through Footlights. A very short academic career was replaced by club management on the strength of a legacy. He co-founded The Establishment in the early 1960s with Peter Cook. He then went into writing. He was one of the Lords Gnome of Private Eye. With Chris Brasher, Nigel Hawkins and Denis Mollison, he founded the John Muir Trust in 1983. Nick served as Chairman from 1991 to 1997. Luard stood as a candidate for the Referendum Party in the 1997 general election, against Michael Portillo in Enfield Southgate. Luard married Elisabeth Longmore, the food writer, in 1962. Bibliography Refer to Drawer: Being a Penetrating Survey of a Shameful National Practice - Hustling. With Dominick Elwes; illus. John Glashan. London: Arthur Barker, 1964. The Warm and Golden War. London: Secker & Warburg, 1967 (). New York: Pantheon, 1967. Travelling Horseman. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1975. () The Robespierre Serial. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1975 (). New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1975 () The Orion Line. London: Secker & Warburg, 1976 () Blood Spoor. Under the pen name of James McVean, London: Raven Books, 1977 () The Dirty Area. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1979 () The Last Wilderness: A Journey Across the Great Kalahari Desert. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1981 (). London: Elm Tree, 1981 () Andalucia: A Portrait of Southern Spain. London: Century, 1984 () The Wildlife Parks of Africa. London: Michael Joseph, 1985 Landscape in Spain. Photographs by Michael Bussele. Boston: Little, Brown, 1988 (). London: Pavilion, 1988 () Gondar. London: Century, 1988 () Kala. London: Century, 1990 () Himalaya. London: Century, 1992 () Sanctuary. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1994 () Silverback. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1996 () The Field of the Star: Pilgrim's Journey to Santiago De Compostela. London: Michael Joseph, 1998 () References External links Guardian obituary by Patrick Marnham Fantastic Fiction 1937 births 2004 deaths Private Eye contributors Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge People educated at Winchester College Referendum Party politicians