John G. (John George) Edgar

Born in 1834, he was the fourth son of the Rev. John Edgar of Hutton, Berwickshire. Before fully turning to literature, he worked in business in Liverpool and even traveled to the West Indies on mercantile affairs.

His earliest known book, The Boyhood of Great Men, appeared in 1853, followed that same year by Footprints of Famous Men. Over roughly a decade, he produced many books for boys, mixing biography with historical storytelling, and he became the first editor of Every Boy's Magazine. His work drew especially on early English and Scottish history, areas he was said to know particularly well.

He also wrote political articles for the London press from a strongly conservative point of view. His career was cut short when his health failed, and he died on April 22, 1864, still a young man.