Aubrey Wyatt Tilby, known as A. Wyatt Tilby (1 April 1880 – 1 September 1948) was a British author, journalist and traveller. He was born in
Addiscombe, Surrey.
After his mother died in 1885, Tilby (known as Alec) was looked after by his uncle, Thomas Martin Tilby and his wife Ellen in
Islington
Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...
, London. Having been told that his health was such that he was unlikely to live to adulthood, his surrogate parents later sent him to live with his Aunt Harriet in
Eastbourne
Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the la ...
, where she educated him herself at home.
As a young adult he spent much of his time travelling and studying in Europe, mainly in Germany, Austria and Italy. In 1905 he joined the editorial staff of the Globe, during which time he also worked on his six-volume history, ''The English People Overseas''. In 1915 he was appointed editor of the ''
Evening Standard
The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format.
In October 2009, after be ...
'', but presumed
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
forced him to reduce his journalistic commitments the following year. The illness left him with a permanently deformed hip which also prevented the continuation of his history writing; instead he turned to writing on philosophy.
A frequent contributor to ''
The Edinburgh Review
The ''Edinburgh Review'' is the title of four distinct intellectual and cultural magazines. The best known, longest-lasting, and most influential of the four was the third, which was published regularly from 1802 to 1929.
''Edinburgh Review'', ...
'' and ''The Nineteenth Century'', he had a thirty-five-year association with ''
The Glasgow Herald
''The Herald'' is a Scottish broadsheet newspaper founded in 1783. ''The Herald'' is the longest running national newspaper in the world and is the eighth oldest daily paper in the world. The title was simplified from ''The Glasgow Herald'' in ...
'' as a reviewer, special correspondent and (from 1944) a leader-writer. He also edited
''The Outlook'' from 1924 to 1928 and
''The Saturday Review'' from 1930.
Married to Kathleen (née Brewer) for thirty-nine years, he had three children and eight grandchildren. He died in Glasgow.
Published works
*''The English People Overseas'' Vol I–VI:
**Volume I: The English people overseas. A History (Francis Griffiths, 1908)
**Volume II: British India, 1600–1828 (Constable and Co., 1911)
**Volume III: British North America, 1763–1867 (Constable and Co., 1911)
**Volume IV: Britain in the Tropics, 1527–1910 (Constable and Co., 1912)
**Volume V: Australasia, 1688–1911 (Constable and Co., 1912)
**Volume VI: South Africa, 1486–1913 (Constable and Co., 1914)
*''The Evolution of Consciousness'' (T. Fisher Unwin Ltd, 1922)
*''The Quest of Reality'' (William Heinemann Ltd, 1927)
*''Lord John Russell'' (Cassell & Company, 1930)
*''Right, A Study in Physical and Moral Order'' (Williams and Norgate, 1933)
External links
*
www.awyatttilby.comWebsite of A. Wyatt Tilby's semi-autobiographical novel, ''A Stiff-Necked Generation''.
The Internet Archive: The English People Overseas
English male journalists
People from Addiscombe
1880 births
1948 deaths
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