author
H. B. (Hereford Brooke) George
1838–1910
A clear, practical historian with a taste for big patterns, he wrote accessible books on English history, genealogy, and the geography of the British Empire. He was also a barrister, Oxford academic, and enthusiastic alpinist who brought a wide-ranging curiosity to his work.
1 Audiobook
Battles of English History
by H. B. (Hereford Brooke) George
About the author
Born in Bath on January 1, 1838, Hereford Brooke George was educated at Winchester and New College, Oxford. He earned strong results in classics and mathematics, was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1867, and spent much of his career connected to Oxford as a lecturer and tutor before serving as professor of modern history from 1884 to 1893.
George wrote history for readers who wanted structure as well as story. His books included Genealogical Tables illustrative of Modern History, Historical Geography of the British Empire, Battles of English History, and Historical Evidence. The range of those titles shows what made him useful to generations of students: he liked to organize complex material and explain how events, places, and dynasties fit together.
He was not only a scholar. George was also known as an alpinist and traveler, and he wrote The Oberland and its Glaciers, reflecting his interest in the mountains as well as the library. He died in 1910, leaving behind a body of work that combined academic discipline with a readable, straightforward style.