Bertram Mitford

Born in Bath in 1855, Bertram Mitford was an English novelist, essayist, and cultural critic who became closely associated with South African settings and themes. He spent time in South Africa after leaving school, and that experience shaped much of his fiction.

He wrote around forty-four books, many of them adventure stories set in southern Africa, and was a contemporary of H. Rider Haggard. His work was popular with readers who enjoyed imperial adventure fiction, though modern readers may also notice the strong colonial attitudes of his era.

Mitford died in 1914. He remains of interest mainly for his vivid South African backgrounds, his place in late-19th-century popular fiction, and the sheer range of novels he produced over his career.