Edward Smith

Edward Smith was an English biographer born in 1839 and died in 1919. He is known for writing books on notable British figures, including William Cobbett: A Biography and The Life of Sir Joseph Banks, as well as works that looked at English society and history.

His interests reached beyond individual lives. The Peasant's Home, 1760–1875 grew out of prize-winning work on housing conditions, showing that he paid close attention to the lives of ordinary people as well as famous names. Other books, such as The Story of the English Jacobins and Foreign Visitors in England, reflect a writer drawn to politics, ideas, and the way a country sees itself.

Although he does not seem to be widely remembered today, his books still offer a useful window into late 19th- and early 20th-century historical writing: readable, curious, and firmly rooted in the concerns of his time.