F. C. (Francis Charles) Philips

Born in Brighton on 3 February 1849, Francis Charles Philips led a life that seems almost novelistic in itself. He was educated at Brighton College, trained at Sandhurst, and served briefly as a British army officer before leaving the military for the theatre, where he worked as an actor in Liverpool and London.

Philips later studied law and was called to the bar at the Middle Temple in 1884, but writing became one of the main threads of his career. He worked as a journalist, wrote short stories and plays, and built a strong readership as a novelist. His breakthrough came with As in a Looking Glass, first published in the 1880s after several publishers turned it down; it quickly found a large audience and helped establish his reputation.

Over the years he produced dozens of novels and more than a dozen plays, with other well-known titles including Jack and Three Jills, The Strange Adventures of Lucy Smith, and Mrs. Bouverie. He died on 21 April 1921, leaving behind the work of a writer who moved easily between popular fiction and the theatrical world.