Walter Besant Popular Books

Walter Besant Biography & Facts

Sir Walter Besant (14 August 1836 – 9 June 1901) was an English novelist and historian. William Henry Besant was his brother, and another brother, Frank, was the husband of Annie Besant. Early life and education The son of wine merchant William Besant (1800–1879), he was born at Portsmouth, Hampshire and attended school at St Paul's, Southsea, Stockwell Grammar, London and King's College London. In 1855, he was admitted as a pensioner to Christ's College, Cambridge, where he graduated in 1859 as 18th wrangler.After a year as Mathematical Master at Rossall School, Fleetwood, Lancashire, and a year at Leamington College, he spent six years as professor of mathematics at the Royal College, British Mauritius. A decline in health compelled him to resign, and he returned to England and settled in London in 1867. From 1868 to 1885, he held the position of Secretary to the Palestine Exploration Fund. In 1871, he was admitted to Lincoln's Inn.In 1874, Besant married Mary Garrett (née Foster Barham), daughter of Eustace Foster-Barham, of Bridgwater, with whom he had four children. For some time he took care of his sister-in-law Annie Besant, a prominent women’s rights activist, socialist, and theosophist. Career In 1868 he published Studies in French Poetry. Three years later he began his collaboration with writer James Rice. Among their joint productions are Ready-money Mortiboy (1872), and The Golden Butterfly (1876), both, especially the latter, very successful. This association was ended by the death of Rice in 1882. Thereafter, Besant continued to write voluminously by himself, his main novels being All in a Garden Fair (which Rudyard Kipling credited in Something of Myself with inspiring him to leave India and make a career as a writer, and which George Gissing read with 'extreme delight', calling it 'one of the most charming and delicate of modern novels), Dorothy Forster (his own favorite), Children of Gibeon, and All Sorts and Conditions of Men. The two last belonged to a series in which he endeavored to arouse the public conscience to the hardship among the poorest classes of cities. In this crusade Besant had considerable success, the establishment of The People's Palace in the East of London being one result. His 1889 novel The Bell of St. Paul's was considered by his contemporary author George Gissing to be an 'absurd and empty book'.In addition to his fiction, Besant wrote largely on the history and topography of London. His plans for this topic were left unfinished: among his books on this subject is London in the 18th Century. Besant was a freemason, joining the Lodge of Harmony in Mauritius in 1862. He became Master of Marquis of Dalhousie Lodge, London in 1873, having joined in 1869. He was one of the founders of the first Masonic research lodge, Quatuor Coronati Lodge No 2076, of which he was the first treasurer from 1886. He was also one of the founders and first chair of the Society of Authors in 1884. He was knighted in the 1895 Birthday Honours. He was treasurer of the "Atlantic Union", an association which sought to improve social relations between Britons and Americans. He died in Frognal in Hampstead, London on 9 June 1901, aged 64. Works Fiction The Alabaster Box. 1900. Alfred. 3rd ed. 1899. All in a Garden Fair. 3 vols. 1883. 1891 edition at the Internet Archive All Sorts and Conditions of Men. 3 vols. 1882. 1890 edition at the Internet Archive Armorel of Lyonesse. 3 vols. 1890. 1907 edition at the Internet Archive The Bell of St. Paul's. 3 vols. 1889. Beyond the Dreams of Avarice. 1895. Blind Love. By Wilkie Collins, completed and with preface by W. Besant. 3 vols. 1890. By Celia’s Arbour: A tale of Portsmouth town. With James Rice. Reprinted from The Graphic. 3 vols. 1878. The Captains' Room etc.. 3 vols. The Case of Mr. Lucraft and other tales. By the authors of Ready Money Mortiboy (with James Rice). 2 vols. 1876. The Changeling. 1898. The Chaplain of the Fleet. With James Rice 3 vols. 1881. 1887 edition at the Internet Archive Children of Gibeon. 2nd ed. 3 vols. 1886. The City of Refuge. 3 vols. 1896. 1899 edition at the Internet Archive Dorothy Forster. 3 vols. 1884. 1891 edition at the Internet Archive Doubts of Dives. [Speculative fiction in which a rich and poor man exchange bodies]. A Five Years' Tryst and other stories. 1902. For Britain's Soldiers. By W.L. Alden, Sir W. Besant etc., with preface by C.J.C. Hyne. 1900. For Faith and Freedom. 3 vols. 1889. 1891 edition at the Internet Archive The History of London, 1894. A Fountain Sealed. 1897. The Fourth Generation. 1900. The Golden Butterfly. With James Rice. 3 vols. 1876. 1887 edition at the Internet Archive Herr Paulus. 3 vols. 1888. 1890 edition at the Internet Archive The Holy Rose &c. 1890. In Deacon's Orders &c. 1895. The Inner House. 1888. [Dystopian fiction about a society that has discovered immortality] The Ivory Gate. 3 vols. 1893. 1894 edition at the Internet Archive The Lady of Lynn. 1901. The Master Craftsman. 2 vols. 1896. The Monks of Thelema. With James Rice. 3 vols. 1878. 1884 edition at the Internet Archive My Little Girl. By the authors of Ready-money Mortiboy. With James Rice. 3 vols. 1873. No Other Way. 1902. The Orange Girl. 1899. Ready-Money Mortiboy. Repr. from Once a Week. With James Rice. 3 vols. 1872. Repr. of 1885 ed. Bath, 1974. 1890 edition at the Internet Archive The Rebel Queen. 3 vols. 1893. The Revolt of Man. 1882. [Speculative fiction: traditional roles of sexes are reversed]. St. Katherine's by the Tower. 3 vols. 1891. The Seamy Side. With James Rice. 3 vols. 2nd. ed. 1880. 1881 edition at the Internet Archive The Ten Years' Tenant and other stories. With James Rice. 3 vols. This Son of Vulcan. By the authors of Ready-Money Mortiboy. With James Rice. 3 vols. 1876. To Call Her Mine &c. 1889. "Twas in Trafalgar's Bay" and other stories. With James Rice. 2nd ed. 1879. Uncle Jack &c. 1885. 1887 edition at the Internet Archive Verbena, Camellia, Stephanotis, &c. 1892. With Harp and Crown. By the authors of “Ready-Money Mortiboy.” With James Rice. 3 vols. 1875. 1890 edition at the Internet Archive The World Went Very Well Then. 3 vols (vol. I, vol. II, vol. III). 1887.Collected editions (fiction) Novels by W.B. and James Rice. Library ed. 10 vols. 1887–88. Comprising in sequence Ready-Money Mortiboy, This Son of Vulcan, With Harp and Crown, The Golden Butterfly, By Celia’s Arbour, The Seamy Side, The Chaplain of the Fleet, The Case of Mr. Lucraft and Other Tales, ‘Twas in Trafalgar’s Bay and Other Stories, The Ten Years’ Tenant and Other Stories [My Little Girl, The Monks of Thelema apparently missing from this series]. Plays The Charm and other drawing-room plays. With W. Pollock. 1896General non-fiction [excluding items on London] "The Amusements of the People", Contemporary Review 45 (1884): 342-53. William Tuckwell, Art and hand work for the people, being three papers read before the Social Science Congress.... Discover the Walter Besant popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Walter Besant books.

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  • The Pacific synopsis, comments

    The Pacific

    Meaghan Wilson Anastasios

    A rich, complex and engaging account of Cook's voyages across the Pacific, from actor and raconteur Sam Neill.Captain James Cook first set sail to the Pacific in 1768, just over 25...

  • Blind Love synopsis, comments

    Blind Love

    Wilkie Collins

    Blind Love is Wilkie Collin's final novel. Although he did not live to complete the work, he left detailed plans for the last third of this novel which were faithfully executed by ...

  • Victorian Short Stories synopsis, comments

    Victorian Short Stories

    Elizabeth Gaskell

    "The Manchester Marriage" by Elizabeth Gaskell; "A Mere Interlude" by Thomas Hardy; "A Faithful Heart" by George Moore; "The Solid Gold Reef Company, Limited" by Walter Besant; "Th...

  • The Changeling synopsis, comments

    The Changeling

    Walter Besant

    "Pray be seated, madam." The doctor offered his visitor a chair. Then he closed the door, with perhaps a more marked manner than one generally displays in this simple operation. "I...

  • The Fourth Generation synopsis, comments

    The Fourth Generation

    Walter Besant

    IT is perhaps well to explain that this story first appeared as a serial early in 1899: that on revision it was found desirable partly to rewrite certain chapters and to enlarge up...

  • The inner house synopsis, comments

    The inner house

    Walter Besant

    "Professor!" cried the Director, rushing to meet their guest and lecturer as the door was thrown open, and the great man appeared, calm and composed, as if there was nothing more i...

  • The Literary Remains of C. F. T. D. Edited with a memoir by Walter Besant. With a portrait. synopsis, comments

    The Literary Remains of C. F. T. D. Edited with a memoir by Walter Besant. With a portrait.

    Charles Frederick Tyrwhitt. Drake & Walter Besant

    The FICTION & PROSE LITERATURE collection includes books from the British Library digitised by Microsoft. The collection provides readers with a perspective of the world from s...

  • Autobiography of Sir Walter Besant synopsis, comments

    Autobiography of Sir Walter Besant

    Walter Besant

    Autobiography of Sir Walter Besant (1902) is a posthumously published autobiography by Walter Besant. Although he is more widely known for his works of fiction and booklength studi...

  • All Sorts and Conditions of Men synopsis, comments

    All Sorts and Conditions of Men

    Walter Besant & James Rice

    The ten years' partnership of myself and my late friend Mr. James Rice has been terminated by death. I am persuaded that nothing short of death would have put an end to a partnersh...

  • Fifty Years Ago synopsis, comments

    Fifty Years Ago

    Walter Besant

    Fifty Years Ago by Walter Besant: Travel back in time to the 19th century with Walter Besant's "Fifty Years Ago." This work offers a vivid and nostalgic portrayal of life and socie...

  • The Case of Mr.Lucraft synopsis, comments

    The Case of Mr.Lucraft

    Walter Besant

    Sir Walter Besant (18361901) was a novelist and historian from London. His sisterinlaw was Annie Besant. In 1855, he was admitted to Christ's College, Cambridge, where he graduated...

  • The inner house synopsis, comments

    The inner house

    Walter Besant

    "Professor!" cried the Director, rushing to meet their guest and lecturer as the door was thrown open, and the great man appeared, calm and composed, as if there was nothing more i...