Beatrix Potter first visited the Lake District in 1882 and fell in love with it right away. Following the success of her first three books – The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902), The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin (1903) and The Tailor of Gloucester (1903) –...
In 1953 Sir Winston Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature "for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values". Churchill the writer is remembered today for three epic histories: Marlborough: His Life and...
HG Wells was born in 1866 in south London. He began writing at an early age and his first four novels established his reputation as the “Father of Science Fiction”: The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), The...
“The person ...
AE Housman (1859-1936) will always be remembered for A Shropshire Lad (1896): his collection of 63 poems that evoke timeless themes such as rustic serenity, unrequited love, fleeting youth, death and grief. Its revered place in the history of English poetry has been boosted by...
JRR Tolkien is famous for his fantasy novels The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954-55). The latter – published in three volumes: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King – is one of the best-selling...
Samuel Pepys kept his celebrated Diary from 1660 to 1669, although it was not published until 200 years later. The Diary’s significance stems from the happy coincidence that it covers a very important period in English history, including London’s Great Plague of 1665 and Great...
William Morris, born in London in 1834, was a popular poet and novelist, helping to establish the modern fantasy genre with works such as The Well at the World’s End (1896). These days he’s better known for his pioneering work in wallpaper and textile design...
“It is difficult for a woman to define her feelings in language which is chiefly made by men to express theirs.” – Thomas Hardy The County of Dorset I have always been fond of Dorset, one of England’s smallest counties. It’s a special area of rolling countryside,...
JM Barrie was born in Kirriemuir, Scotland in 1860, but lived most of his adult life in England. Although he was a prolific and successful playwright, Barrie’s reputation nowadays is largely based on the popularity of Peter Pan (published as a play in 1904 and...