author

Theophila Carlile Campbell

1837–1913

Best known for writing a daughter’s account of the radical publisher Richard Carlile, this English writer left behind a vivid link to the world of free thought and press reform in the 19th century.

1 Audiobook

The battle of the press : as told in the story of the life of Richard Carlile by his daughter, Theophila Carlile Campbell

The battle of the press : as told in the story of the life of Richard Carlile by his daughter, Theophila Carlile Campbell

by Theophila Carlile Campbell

About the author

Theophila Carlile Campbell (1837–1913) was an English writer and the daughter of the radical publisher and free-speech campaigner Richard Carlile. The most clearly documented facts about her are her life dates and her family connection, which shaped the subject of the work she is best known for.

Her main surviving book is The Battle of the Press: As Told in the Story of the Life of Richard Carlile (1899). In it, she told the story of her father's struggles over freedom of the press, preserving a family perspective on one of the great free-expression battles of 19th-century Britain.

Campbell remains a somewhat obscure figure, and readily available sources online offer only a brief outline of her life. Even so, her work still matters as a firsthand literary and historical contribution, especially for readers interested in radical politics, publishing, and the long fight for a free press.