author
Robert Mackenzie
1823–1881
A busy Victorian journalist and historian, he turned years in the newspaper world into lively books on England, America, and the nineteenth century. His writing was known for making big subjects readable for a wide general audience.
1 Audiobook
America: A history
by Robert Mackenzie
About the author
Born in 1823 at Barry in Forfarshire, Scotland, Robert Mackenzie was educated by his father, a parish schoolmaster, and later worked in Dundee before moving into journalism. By the 1840s he was reporting for Scottish newspapers, and over time he became connected with several editorial and reporting roles in Dundee, Perth, and London.
He built his reputation as a prolific miscellaneous writer and historian. Among the works linked to him are The 19th Century: A History and a history of the United States that was also adapted for younger readers. His career shows the classic Victorian path from newspaper work into popular historical writing.
Mackenzie died in 1881. Remembered less as a literary stylist than as a capable and energetic popular historian, he helped bring large historical subjects within reach of ordinary readers.