author
Edwin Hodder
1837–1904
A Victorian writer with a gift for biography, history, and devotional verse, this English author drew on both public life and wide reading to produce books that ranged from New Zealand recollections to lives of major reformers. His work also found a lasting place in hymnody, especially in writing for children and families.
2 Audiobooks
Life in London : or, The pitfalls of a great city
by Edwin Hodder
Our Christmas party
by Edwin Hodder
About the author
Born in Staines on December 13, 1837, Edwin Hodder spent part of his early adulthood in New Zealand before returning to England in the early 1860s. He then entered the English Civil Service, where he worked for many years and remained until his retirement in 1897.
Alongside that career, he built a substantial literary life. Sources consistently describe him as the author of biographies, devotional works, historical writing, and books for younger readers. Among the works linked with him are Memories of New Zealand Life, The Life and Work of the Seventh Earl of Shaftesbury, George Fife Angas, Father and Founder of South Australia, and The Life of a Century.
He is also remembered as a hymn writer, with several reference works noting the continuing popularity of pieces such as "Thy Word Is Like a Garden, Lord." Edwin Hodder died on March 1, 1904, and later reference collections still present him as a versatile Victorian man of letters whose writing moved easily between faith, history, and biography.