John G. (John George) Edgar

John George Edgar was an English writer born in 1834, the fourth son of the Rev. John Edgar of Hutton, Berwickshire. Before devoting himself to literature, he worked in business in Liverpool and traveled to the West Indies on mercantile affairs.

His first books, The Boyhood of Great Men and Footprints of Famous Men, appeared in 1853. Over roughly the next decade, he produced many more volumes aimed largely at boys, mixing biography, popular history, and historical fiction. He was especially drawn to early English and Scottish history, and he also became the first editor of Every Boy's Magazine.

Edgar's writing is remembered for making the past feel brisk, accessible, and full of incident. He died young on April 22, 1864, after a period of failing health, but his books continued to circulate widely through later reprints and library editions.