Earthquakes As Well by Tut

Puzzle explanation

Extra letters from the clues’ wordplay gave the inessential items italicised in the following quotation from Lucile by Edward Robert Bulwer-Lytton, followed by “shade author’s job”:

We may live without poetry, music and art; We may live without conscience, and live without heart; We may live without friends; we may live without books; But civilised man cannot live without cooks

The grid clashes were resolved to form the poem’s title and author, and “cooks”, the one thing the poem says is essential, not the inessential “books”. The puzzle’s title cryptically suggested “heart”, the remaining inessential item. Lytton was Viceroy of India from 1876 to 1880.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation [extra letter]
Across
1 LATENCY [P]LAY around (TEN C)
6 LUPINE L[O]U(t) + PINE
10 YURT Y[E]T around UR
11 FANATIC FAN[T]ASTIC − S
13 RAMCAT T[R]AMCAR *
14 GRANS NS in GRA[Y]
15 TONG T’ + [M]ONG
16 LOWAN LO[U](d) + WAN
19 GEROPIGA PRO[S]E * in GIG + A
21 NARROW [I]N + A + RR + OW
22 BOOKS B + [C]OOKS
25 OLD GIRL O + L[A]D + RIG < + L
27 NAEVI NAME − M + VI[R]
29 ROYALS [T]ROY + ALS(o)
31 AIREDALE A1 + RED + ALE[C]
35 YEARN [O]E in YARN
37 DIEB (I[N] BED) *
38 IRONY IRON + [S](ark)Y
39 LARVAE (V(irus) A(ttack)) in [C]LARE
40 ACARIAN ARIA in [I]NCA <
41 BRAE BRA in E[E]
42 LAVEER VEER in LA[N](e)
43 KITHARA KITS[C]H − S + A + RA
Down
1 PYTHON H in TON in PY[E]
2 AURORAL (d)AAL around [F]UROR
3 TRANT RANT in T[R]
4 NUCLEOLI (CLONE + (c)IL[I]U(m)) *
5 CIAO (O’ + A + IC[E]) <
6 LAZARS LA[N]ZA + RS
7 CART RT in CA[D]
8 LINE LIN[S]EY − Y
9 ECSTASY APOSTASY with [S]EC for (A + PO)
12 TALION LOT[H]IAN *
17 WEIGELA (E[A] + LA) after (WEIGHT − HT)
18 DROVE D + ROVE[D]
20 POLYP POLY + [E]P
22 CROWN ROT OWN in C[A]RROT
23 ANAXIAL ANAL around (A + [U]X + I)
24 JERBOA JER(k) + BOA[T]
26 GLUE EAR (L(oud) + [H]UE) in GEAR
28 CAESAR (A C[O]ARSE) *
30 SUBSEA SUBS + EA[R]
32 TIARA IT < + A + RA[S]
33 ORCA MA[J]ORCA − MA
34 IN RE IGN[O]RE − (muckin)G
36 RAKI [B]R + À + KI(t)
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