author
Edwin Creer
A Victorian hairdresser and trade writer, he left behind practical guides that open a window onto the craft of wig-making and hairstyling in the late 1800s. His books are especially interesting for readers curious about everyday beauty work, apprenticeships, and the hands-on skills behind period fashion.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Edwin Creer was a 19th-century writer on hairdressing and wig-making whose surviving works focus on the practical side of the trade. He is identified in Board-Work; or the Art of Wig-making, Etc. as the editor of The Hairdressers’ Chronicle and the author of A Popular Treatise on the Human Hair and Lessons in Hairdressing.
His best-known book, published in London in 1887, was written for hairdressers and especially for young men entering the profession. It combines step-by-step instruction with advice on tools, razor care, and workshop technique, giving modern readers a clear sense of how specialized and skilled the trade was.
Creer’s writing stands out because it treats hair work as both craft and discipline. Even when little biographical detail is easy to confirm, his books still give him a distinct voice: patient, practical, and eager to teach.