Henry Gardiner Adams (c.1811–1881) was an English druggist and chemist, known as an author and anthologist. He wrote

juvenile literature Juvenile may refer to: *Juvenile status, or minor (law), prior to adulthood *Juvenile (organism) *Juvenile (rapper) (born 1975), American rapper * ''Juvenile'' (2000 film), Japanese film * ''Juvenile'' (2017 film) *Juvenile (greyhounds), a greyho ...

under the pseudonym Nemo.

Life

Adams acted as secretary to the Mechanics Institute at

Chatham Chatham may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Chatham Islands (British Columbia) * Chatham Sound, British Columbia * Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi * Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...

. He was also involved in the early days of the

Percy Society The Percy Society was a British text publication society. It was founded in 1840 and collapsed in 1852. The Society was a scholarly collective, aimed at publishing limited-edition books of rare poems and songs. The president was Lady Braybrooke, a ...

. Bankruptcy proceedings against his druggist and chemist business in Burgate Street,

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

were announced in 1872. He died at

Gillingham, Kent Gillingham ( ) is a large town in the unitary authority area of Medway in the ceremonial county of Kent, England. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Chatham, Rochester, Strood and Rainham. It is also the largest town in the ...

on 1 May 1881.

Political Views

In 1854 Adams edited the book ''God's Image In Ebony'' by the British

abolitionists Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The Britis ...

Frederick Chesson Frederick William Chesson (1833 – 29 April 1888) was an English journalist and prominent anti-slavery campaigner. He was active in the London Aborigines' Protection SocietyJames Heartfield, ''The Aborigines' Protection Society,'' London, Hurst, ...

and

Wilson Armistead Wilson Armistead (30 August 181918 February 1868) was a Quaker, businessman, abolitionist and writer from Leeds. He led the Leeds Anti-Slavery Association and wrote and edited anti-slavery texts. His best known work, '' A Tribute for the Negro' ...

. In the introduction to ''God's Image In Ebony'', Adams argued that all human beings had a common origin, and hence that the

enslavement Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

black people Black is a racialized classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin; in certain countries, often in s ...

was immoral.

Edited works

*''The Kentish Coronal'' (1841). Adams contacted

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 ...

in 1840 about contributing to a Kentish journal, but Dickens declined. Arthur Brook ( John Chalk Claris) did contribute. *''Flowers; their moral, language, and poetry'' (1844) *''The Peace Reading-book'' (1844) *''The Language and Poetry of Flowers'' (1853 and later editions, US editions from 1844). This anthology was Christian in tone, and aimed at a female audience. *''A Cyclopædia of Poetical Quotations'' (1853) *''A Cyclopædia of Sacred Poetical Quotations'' (1854) *''God's Image in Ebony: Being a Series of Biographical Sketches, Facts, Anecdotes, Etc., Demonstrative of the Mental Powers and Intellectual Capacities of the Negro Race'' (1854), by Frederick William Chesson and

*''A Cyclopædia of Female Biography'' (1857), revised edition, with

Sarah Josepha Buell Hale Sarah Josepha Buell Hale (October 24, 1788April 30, 1879) was an American writer, activist, and editor of ''Godey's Lady's Book''. She was the author of the nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb". Hale famously campaigned for the creation of the ...

Natural history

*''Favorite Song Birds'' (1851) *''Cage and Chamber Birds'' (1853), translated and expanded from the German, and including ''British Warblers'' by Robert Sweet *''Nests and Eggs of Familiar British Birds'' (1854) *''Beautiful Butterflies; the British species described and illustrated'' (1854) *''Beautiful Shells'' (1855) *''Humming Birds Described and Illustrated'' (1856) *''The Sea-side Lesson Book'' (1856) *''The Wild Flowers, Birds and Insects of the Months'' (1862) *''The Smaller British Birds'' (1874), with Henry B. Adams.

Other works

*''A Story of the Seasons'' (2nd edition 1855) *''Peace Lyrics'' (1856) dedicated to

Elihu Burritt Elihu Burritt (December 8, 1810March 6, 1879) was an American diplomat, philanthropist and social activist.Arthur Weinberg and Lila Shaffer Weinberg. ''Instead of Violence: Writings by the Great Advocates of Peace and Nonviolence Throughout Histo ...

*''An Historical and Descriptive Account of Rochester Bridge'' (1856) *''The Weaver Boy who Became a Missionary: Being the Story of the Life and Labors of David Livingstone'' (1867)

Notes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Henry Gardiner 1811 births 1881 deaths English male non-fiction writers English book editors People from Kent