author
Edward Clodd
1840–1930
Best known for writing about myth, folklore, and the early roots of belief, this Victorian thinker brought big ideas to a wide general audience. Alongside a long career in banking, he became a lively popularizer of anthropology and evolutionary thought.
3 Audiobooks
Pioneers of Evolution from Thales to Huxley With an Intermediate Chapter on the Causes of Arrest of the Movement
by Edward Clodd
The Story of the Alphabet
by Edward Clodd
Myths and Dreams
by Edward Clodd
About the author
Born in Margate on July 1, 1840, and later associated with Aldeburgh in Suffolk, Edward Clodd built an unusual double career: he worked his way up in banking while also establishing himself as a writer on folklore, religion, and human origins. He is commonly described as an English banker, writer, and anthropologist.
Clodd wrote accessibly for non-specialist readers, helping introduce late 19th-century audiences to debates about evolution, myth, and comparative religion. His books often explored how stories, beliefs, and customs developed over time, and he became known as a clear, energetic interpreter of new scientific and anthropological ideas.
He also moved in a wide literary and scientific circle, with gatherings at his home bringing together notable friends and visitors. Clodd died on March 16, 1930, leaving behind a body of work that reflects both Victorian curiosity and an enduring interest in how people make meaning from the world.