Geo. P. (George Pickering) Burnham

Born in 1814 and writing as Geo. P. Burnham, George Pickering Burnham became known in the United States for books about domestic fowl, breeding, and the culture that grew up around them. Library records for The History of the Hen Fever identify him as George Pickering Burnham and date him to 1814–1902.

Burnham wrote at a moment when poultry breeding had become both a practical pursuit and a popular fad. His best-known work, The History of the Hen Fever: A Humorous Record (1855), suggests the side of his personality readers still notice today: he was not just an enthusiast, but an amused observer of the fashions, rivalries, and excitement surrounding the poultry world.

Alongside the humor, his work also aimed to instruct. Titles associated with him include practical poultry manuals as well as his comic history of the craze, showing an author who could move easily between handbook and entertainment. For modern readers, that blend makes him an appealing guide to a very specific corner of 19th-century American life.