Percy Greg

Born in Bury on January 7, 1836, and later dying in Chelsea on December 24, 1889, Percy Greg was an English writer and the son of essayist William Rathbone Greg. During much of his life he worked in journalism, contributing to papers including the Manchester Guardian, the Standard, and the Saturday Review.

He wrote across several genres, but he is now most often remembered for Across the Zodiac (1880), an early science-fiction novel that has been described as a forerunner of the sword-and-planet tradition. He also published fiction such as Errant and wrote history and political works, including History of the United States to the Reconstruction of the Union.

Greg’s writing reputation today rests largely on his imaginative fiction, especially his place in the early history of science fiction. At the same time, accounts of his career note that some of his political views were strongly reactionary, which is worth keeping in mind when approaching his nonfiction.