E. B. (Edward Blair) Michell

Born in Oxford in 1843, Edward Blair Michell was an English barrister and writer whose life ranged far beyond the study. He was educated at Magdalen College, Oxford, and became known not only as an author but also as a skilled amateur athlete.

Michell won major rowing honors in the 1860s, including the Wingfield Sculls and the Diamond Challenge Sculls at Henley, and he was also noted as a boxer and linguist. That unusually broad background helps explain the range and authority of his writing.

He is especially remembered for work on falconry, including The Art and Practice of Hawking (1900), a book that helped preserve knowledge of the sport for later readers. Reliable sources describe him as an authority on hawking and as the author of books on several subjects, which fits the restless, wide-ranging character of his career.