Modern English Biography (volume 1 of 4) A-H #346487

Biography like other subjects seems to have its fashion; at one time it is much attended to, at another time neglected. The Historical Register from 1717 to 1739, The European Magazine from 1782 to 1826, and The Gentleman’s Magazine from 1731 to 1868 furnished most useful and excellent notices of deceased worthies; then there appeared for one year only, The Register and Magazine of Biography, the first volume by Mr. Thompson Cooper, F.S.A., the second by Mr. Edward Walford, M.A. After this period there was a lull and biography was for some time at a discount; gradually however The Times, which hitherto had paid little attention to the subject, commenced inserting numerous obituary notices, and this fashion gradually increased, until at the present day there are few numbers of that paper which do not contain interesting memoirs. Other periodicals followed suit, and now the majority of the daily and weekly journals not only give lives but many of them well engraved portraits.
In the meantime there also came out various books on biography, such as Men of the Time, Men of Mark, Eminent Women Series, English Men of Action, English Men of Letters, English Worthies, Great Artists, Great Writers, Memorable Men of the Nineteenth Century, Men worth Remembering, The Biograph and others, while various improved biographical dictionaries, more especially the Dictionary of National Biography, still in progress, were produced.
General Biography has now become so large a subject, that no one work can comprehend it, and it will, it is imagined, in future, be necessary to attack it in small sections, if anything like justice is to be done to the matter.
Impressed with these ideas, the author of this work, who had during a period of twenty years made a collection of notes relating to English persons deceased since 1850, thought it not improbable that by printing his materials, he ivmight be able to make a useful contribution to biographical literature. The first volume of “Modern English Biography” is the result; in it will be found memoirs referring to the period mentioned, of all privy councillors, knights, judges, recorders, queen’s counsel, serjeants, stipendiary magistrates, benchers of the inns of court, bishops, deans, archdeacons, chancellors, admirals, generals and members of parliament; other persons too, frequently omitted in biographical works, such as architects, engineers, inventors, ship builders, electricians, railway managers, publishers, actors, dramatists, musicians, music hall artistes, painters, sculptors, engravers, physicians, surgeons, sporting celebrities, eccentric characters and notorious criminals have also been inserted, in fact any one who has been well known and about whom a question might arise in general conversation. In addition, many foreigners who have spent portions of their lives in England and some few natives of the British colonies have been included.

The plan in these memoirs, of which there are nearly 8,000 in this volume, has been first to give the main facts in each life, then, in the case of authors, short though exact titles of their chief works, concluding with references to books where longer accounts are to be found. The subject of portraits has been made a speciality, and thousands of notices of likenesses in books, periodicals and newspapers have been inserted. The Transactions of the most important scientific and literary societies as well as the best known magazines and newspapers have been examined and the biographical notices extracted.