author
Sir James Knowles
1831–1908
Best remembered as the founder and editor of The Nineteenth Century, he moved easily between architecture, literature, and public debate in Victorian Britain. His career also brought him into the circle of Alfred, Lord Tennyson and into the founding of the Metaphysical Society, where religion and science were argued with unusual energy.
1 Audiobook
The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights
by Sir James Knowles, Sir Thomas Malory
About the author
Born on 13 October 1831, Sir James Thomas Knowles was trained as an architect, following his father into the profession and studying at University College London as well as in Italy. He designed a number of buildings, including houses and churches, but he is now most often remembered for the range of his interests rather than for architecture alone.
Knowles had strong literary and editorial ambitions, and in 1877 he founded The Nineteenth Century, a major monthly review that became an important forum for serious discussion in late Victorian Britain. He also wrote earlier in life, including The Story of King Arthur, showing the mix of historical, literary, and public interests that shaped much of his work.
He was closely associated with Alfred, Lord Tennyson and played a leading role in founding the Metaphysical Society in 1869, a debating circle that brought together prominent thinkers to discuss religion, philosophy, and science. Knighted later in life, he died on 13 February 1908.