author

Richard Ferris

An Elizabethan royal messenger turned adventurer, he is remembered for a bold wager-voyage from London to Bristol in the 1580s and for the lively pamphlet that grew out of it.

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How It Flies; or, The Conquest of the Air The Story of Man's Endeavors to Fly and of the Inventions by Which He Has Succeeded

How It Flies; or, The Conquest of the Air The Story of Man's Endeavors to Fly and of the Inventions by Which He Has Succeeded

by Richard Ferris

About the author

Little is firmly known about this Richard Ferris beyond the outline preserved in historical reference works, but he appears as an English adventurer active in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Sources describe him as one of the ordinary messengers attached to Queen Elizabeth I's household, with records placing him in royal service in the 1580s and again in 1606.

Ferris is best known for the hazardous journey described in The most dangerous and memorable adventure of Richard Ferris. That account made his name endure: it captures the spirit of Tudor bravado, travel, and self-promotion, and it has kept him of interest to readers curious about early modern adventure writing.

Because surviving information is sparse, much of his life remains uncertain. What stands out clearly is the mix of court service, risk-taking, and storytelling that gave his brief place in literary history its lasting appeal.