author
John Oakesmith
A British civil servant who also wrote thoughtful early-20th-century nonfiction, with books that range from classical religion to questions of race and patriotism. His surviving work suggests a serious, curious mind drawn to big historical and moral themes.
1 Audiobook
The religion of Plutarch : A pagan creed of apostolic times
by John Oakesmith
About the author
Born around 1866 in Middlesbrough, John Oakesmith was a British writer and civil servant. Records gathered by library and reference sources identify him with the birth name John William Smith, and note that he died on July 16, 1923, at St Leonards.
Oakesmith is best known today for The Religion of Plutarch: A Pagan Creed of Apostolic Times (1902), a study of Plutarch's religious thought, and for Race & Nationality: An Inquiry into the Origin and Growth of Patriotism (1919). Those titles show the range of his interests: from the beliefs of the ancient world to the forces shaping modern identity and public feeling.
Although he does not appear to have left behind a widely documented public life as a literary celebrity, his books have remained accessible through library, archive, and public-domain collections. That lasting availability gives modern readers a chance to rediscover a writer who brought a reflective, analytical approach to religion, history, and society.