author

Edward Mayhew

d. 1868

An inventive 19th-century veterinary writer and artist, he helped turn practical horse care into something both useful and visually memorable. His books combined medical advice, stable management, and striking illustrations drawn from his own hand.

3 Audiobooks

The Dog

The Dog

by Dinks, W. N. (William Nelson) Hutchinson, Edward Mayhew

The Illustrated Horse Doctor

The Illustrated Horse Doctor

by Edward Mayhew

The Horse's Mouth, Showing the age by the teeth

The Horse's Mouth, Showing the age by the teeth

by Edward Mayhew

About the author

Born in 1808 and dying in 1868, he was an English veterinary surgeon, author, and artist closely associated with horse care and stable management. According to Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons history and archive material, he enrolled at the London Veterinary College in 1843, qualified as a member of the RCVS on February 6, 1845, and later served on the RCVS Council.

He is especially remembered for The Illustrated Horse Doctor (1860) and Illustrated Horse Management (1864). Archive records note that many of his original watercolours were turned into woodcut engravings for those books, which helps explain why his work feels both practical and highly visual.

A brother of Henry Mayhew, the founding editor of Punch, he is thought to have spent part of his early life in the theatre before moving into veterinary study. That unusual mix of artistic skill and professional training gave his writing a clear, lively quality that still makes it stand out today.