author
Edward Mayhew
d. 1868
Best known for lively, practical books about horses and dogs, this Victorian writer mixed veterinary advice with a sharp eye for everyday animal care. His work was widely read in the mid-19th century and is still remembered for its detailed illustrations and plainspoken style.
4 Audiobooks
The dog
by Henry William Herbert, W. N. (William Nelson) Hutchinson, Edward Mayhew
The horse's mouth, showing the age by the teeth
by Edward Mayhew
About the author
Edward Mayhew was an English writer on animal care and veterinary subjects who lived in the 19th century and died in 1868. Library and archival records connect him with well-known works including The Illustrated Horse Doctor, The Illustrated Horse Management, and Every Man His Own Farrier, books aimed at helping ordinary readers understand the health, handling, and treatment of horses and other domestic animals.
A modern article from RCVS Knowledge describes him as the brother of Henry Mayhew, the founding editor of Punch, and highlights the large body of artwork associated with his publications. That combination of practical instruction and strong visual material helped make his books distinctive, especially at a time when clear guidance on animal health was in high demand.
Although not much biographical detail is easy to confirm from the sources found here, his surviving books show a writer focused on useful, direct advice rather than theory. Today he is mainly remembered through those richly illustrated manuals, which offer a vivid glimpse of Victorian ideas about horses, dogs, and everyday veterinary care.