Jonathan Nield

Jonathan Nield was an American writer and compiler of literary reference works, born in 1863. He is chiefly remembered for A Guide to the Best Historical Novels and Tales, a book that gathered and organized historical fiction across many periods and subjects.

That guide was first published in the early 1900s and continued to circulate in later editions, showing that it found a lasting audience. Nield also appears in library and public-domain records connected with other literary and philosophical works, suggesting a career shaped by reading, selection, and careful editorial judgment.

Reliable biographical details about his personal life are limited in the sources I could confirm, so much of his legacy rests on the books themselves. Even so, his name remains closely linked with the serious appreciation of historical fiction and the effort to help readers navigate a very large field.