W. H. Matthews

Born in 1882, William Henry Matthews is remembered for Mazes and Labyrinths: A General Account of Their History and Development, first published in 1922. The book explores labyrinths and mazes across many places and periods, from ancient stories to English garden designs, and it remains the work most closely associated with his name.

Available biographical notes suggest that he studied botany at Birkbeck College and served with the Royal Engineers during the First World War. Accounts connected with his family and later public-domain editions also describe him as a lifelong musician, reader, and lover of the natural world.

Matthews died in 1948. Although little widely documented biographical material survives, his writing has endured because it combines careful research with genuine curiosity, making a specialized subject feel open to any interested reader.