George Manville Fenn (3 January 1831 in

Pimlico Pimlico () is an area of Central London in the City of Westminster, built as a southern extension to neighbouring Belgravia. It is known for its garden squares and distinctive Regency architecture. Pimlico is demarcated to the north by London V ...

– 26 August 1909 in

Isleworth Isleworth ( ) is a town located within the London Borough of Hounslow in West London, England. It lies immediately east of the town of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane, London, River Crane. Isleworth's or ...

) was a prolific English novelist, journalist, editor and educationalist. Many of his novels were written with young adults in mind. His final book was his biography of a fellow writer for juveniles,

George Alfred Henty George Alfred Henty (8 December 1832 – 16 November 1902) was an English novelist and war correspondent. He is most well-known for his works of adventure fiction and historical fiction, including ''The Dragon & The Raven'' (1886), ''For The ...

Life and works

Fenn, the third child and eldest son of a butler, Charles Fenn, was largely self-educated, teaching himself French, German and Italian. After studying at Battersea Training College for Teachers (1851–1854), he became the master of a national school at

Alford, Lincolnshire Alford (pronounced ) is a town in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, at the foot of the Lincolnshire Wolds, which form an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The population was recorded as 3,459 in the 2011 Census and estimat ...

Grave of George Manville Fenn in Isleworth Cemetery

Fenn later became a printer, editor and publisher of some short-lived periodicals, before attracting the attention of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

and others with a sketch for '' All the Year Round'' in 1864. He contributed to ''

Chambers's Journal ''Chambers's Edinburgh Journal'' was a weekly 16-page magazine started by William Chambers in 1832. The first edition was dated 4 February 1832, and priced at one penny. Topics included history, religion, language, and science. William was soo ...

'' and to the magazine '' Once a Week''. In 1866, he wrote a series of articles on working-class life for the newspaper ''The Star''. These were collected and republished in four volumes, and were followed by a similar series in the ''Weekly Times''. Fenn's first story for boys, ''Hollowdell Grange'', appeared in 1867. It was followed by a succession of other novels for juveniles and adults. ''The Star-Gazers'' (1894), for example, was a three-volume "astronomical romance" for adults. Having become the editor of ''Cassell's Magazine'' in 1870, Fenn then purchased ''Once a Week'' and edited it until it closed in 1879. He also wrote for the theatre. Fenn authored many historical fiction novels, including ''Crown and Sceptre: A West-Country Story'' (1889) about the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

, ''Ned Ledger'' (1899), focusing on naval combat during

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George's W ...

, ''The King's Sons'' (1901) about

King Alfred Alfred the Great (alt. Ælfred 848/849 – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who bot ...

, and ''Marcus, the Young Centurion'' (1904), about

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

. Fenn and his family lived at Syon Lodge,

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

, where he built up a library of 25,000 volumes and took up telescope making. His last book was a biography of a great fellow writer of boys' stories, ''

''.

Family

In 1855, George Manville Fenn married Susanna Leake; they had two sons and six daughters. He died at his home on 26 August 1909.

Fenn's works

Novels

References

External links

* * *
Eric Ford: A Forgotten Victorian Author and the Society He Knew. Critical Essay
From ''Contemporary Review''; Sept. 1999. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fenn, George Manville English male novelists English writers 1831 births 1909 deaths People from Pimlico People from Isleworth English historical novelists Writers of historical fiction set in antiquity Writers of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages Writers of historical fiction set in the early modern period Nautical historical novelists