author
George Cox
1838–1909
A retired British major-general who turned his attention to language, he became one of the early English champions of Esperanto. His best-known book explains the language with a practical, orderly style that reflects both a soldier’s discipline and a teacher’s patience.
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About the author
After a long career in the British army, serving from 1861 until 1898 in places including Malta, Egypt, and South Africa, George Cox became active in the Esperanto movement in the early 20th century. Contemporary sources describe him as an English Esperantist as well as a major-general, and note that he died on October 27, 1909.
He is best remembered for The International Auxiliary Language Esperanto: Grammar & Commentary, a substantial guide to the language. The Project Gutenberg edition explains that the work was associated with Major-General Cox and that it was revised after his death under the direction of the British Esperanto Association, suggesting that it had enough value in Esperanto circles to remain in use.
Although not a widely known literary figure today, he stands out as one of those writers who helped introduce new ideas to English-speaking readers. His surviving work has a clear, instructional feel, aimed less at showing off than at helping ordinary learners understand an international language that many people then saw as full of promise.