author
George L. (George Lillie) Craik
1798–1866
A lively 19th-century Scottish man of letters, he wrote history, criticism, and popular educational works with a gift for making serious subjects readable. His books on English literature and language helped bring literary study to a wider audience.
1 Audiobook
John Rutherford, the White Chief: A Story of Adventure in New Zealand
by George L. (George Lillie) Craik
About the author
Born in Kennoway, Fife, in 1798, George Lillie Craik studied at the University of St Andrews and originally considered entering the church before turning instead to journalism and literary work. He moved to London in 1824 and became closely associated with the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, writing and editing works meant to inform general readers.
Craik built a wide-ranging career as a writer, critic, and historian. He contributed to major reference projects and is especially remembered for books such as The Pursuit of Knowledge under Difficulties, The Pictorial History of England, and his studies of English literature and the English language. His writing often combined solid research with a clear, accessible style.
In 1849 he was appointed Professor of English Literature and History at Belfast, a role that reflected his standing as a serious literary scholar as well as a prolific public writer. He died in 1866, leaving behind a body of work that sits at the meeting point of scholarship, history, and popular education.