Martin Farquhar Tupper

Born in London in 1810, Martin Farquhar Tupper was an English poet, prose writer, and man of letters who studied at Christ Church, Oxford, and was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn. Although trained in law, he became far better known for writing than for legal work.

His biggest success was Proverbial Philosophy, a long-running series of moral and reflective pieces that became enormously popular in Britain and the United States during the Victorian period. Tupper wrote many other books as well, including poetry, fiction, essays, and historical works, and for a time he was one of the most widely read authors of his day.

Later generations were often less enthusiastic about his style, and his reputation declined sharply after his lifetime. Even so, he remains an interesting figure in 19th-century literary history: a writer whose huge contemporary success shows how different popular taste could be, and how quickly literary fame can change.