author
Edmund Ollier
1827–1886
A prolific Victorian man of letters, he moved easily between journalism, poetry, editing, and large-scale popular history. His career linked him to some of the most important literary periodicals of 19th-century England.
1 Audiobook
The Life and Times of Queen Victoria; vol. 1 of 4
by Robert Wilson, Edmund Ollier
About the author
Born in 1827, Edmund Ollier was an English journalist and author, and the son of publisher Charles Ollier. Accounts of his early life note that, as a child, he encountered literary figures including Charles Lamb, Mary Lamb, Leigh Hunt, and Benjamin Haydon, giving him an unusually close view of the literary world from the beginning.
He went on to build a varied writing career, contributing to or working with periodicals such as The Athenæum, The Daily News, Household Words, and All the Year Round. He was also known for ambitious historical and illustrated works, including books connected with world history, the United States, and the Franco-Prussian War.
Ollier died in Chelsea, London, in 1886. Although he is not widely remembered today, he was a steady and versatile presence in Victorian publishing, with work that reflects the era's strong appetite for journalism, history, and richly illustrated popular books.