author

Harold Whitehead

b. 1880

Best known for writing practical business books and the 1918 novel Dawson Black: Retail Merchant, this Birmingham-born author wrote in a clear, useful style shaped by the commercial world of the early 20th century.

1 Audiobook

Dawson Black: Retail Merchant

Dawson Black: Retail Merchant

by Harold Whitehead

About the author

Harold Whitehead was born in Birmingham, England, on January 10, 1880. Reliable details about his life are limited, but available records and book listings connect him with a small body of early-20th-century writing focused on business, sales, and retail life.

His best-known work today is Dawson Black: Retail Merchant, first published in 1918 and later preserved by Project Gutenberg. Other books attributed to him include Principles of Salesmanship, How to Run a Store, The Business Career of Peter Flint, and Your Job, suggesting a strong interest in everyday commerce, ambition, and practical advice for working readers.

What stands out about Whitehead is how directly he wrote about business as lived experience. Whether in fiction or instruction, his books seem aimed at readers who wanted guidance, encouragement, and a closer look at how work and success were understood in his time.