author
active 1816-1830 John Badcock
A lively, mysterious voice from Regency-era sporting London, this writer published under the names Jon Bee and John Hinds and became known for vivid books on boxing, horse racing, and city life. Even today, his real identity remains uncertain, which gives his work an extra layer of intrigue.
1 Audiobook
Real Life In London, Volumes I. and II. Or, The Rambles and Adventures of Bob Tallyho, Esq., and His Cousin, the Hon. Tom Dashall, Through the Metropolis; Exhibiting a Living Picture of Fashionable Characters, Manners, and Amusements in High and Low Life (1821)
by active 1816-1830 John Badcock, Pierce Egan
About the author
An English sporting writer active between 1816 and 1830, he is best known under the pseudonyms Jon Bee and John Hinds. His books covered boxing, horse racing, and other parts of sporting culture, and they helped capture the fast-moving, rough-edged world of early 19th-century Britain.
What makes him especially interesting is that he has never been firmly identified. Reference sources describe him as an unidentified writer, though internal evidence in his work has suggested some connection with Devon or Cornwall.
His surviving bibliography shows both range and energy. Works linked to him include Real Life in London and practical equestrian titles such as Conversations on Conditioning and Hind's Farriery and Stud-book, suggesting a writer who could move easily between urban observation, satire, and hands-on sporting knowledge.