Leonard V. (Leonard Victor) Dalton

Leonard V. Dalton, short for Leonard Victor Dalton, was a British author born in 1887 and remembered for Venezuela, published in 1912. Library and catalog records consistently identify him as the author of that book and give his lifespan as 1887–1914.

Venezuela is a wide-ranging account of the country’s landscape, geology, wildlife, people, and history. The book was issued with illustrations, a map, and a substantial bibliography, suggesting a writer who wanted to combine travel writing with careful research.

Very little biographical detail appears to be widely documented online beyond his name, dates, and this published work. Even so, the book itself points to a curious, observant young writer whose career was cut short, leaving behind a detailed portrait of Venezuela from the years just before the First World War.