Complex sentence: Thomas Vere Bayne (1829--1908) was an academic at the University of Oxford and a friend of Charles Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, the author of the "Alice in Wonderland" books.
Split into simpler sentences: Thomas Vere Bayne (1829--1908) was an academic at the University of Oxford. He was a friend of Charles Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, the author of the "Alice in Wonderland" books.