author
W. P. (William Peter) Strickland
1809–1884
A 19th-century minister and prolific writer, he turned frontier history, church biography, and missionary work into lively books for a broad American audience. His work also reached into early speculative fiction, giving him an unusual place in literary history.
1 Audiobook
Old Mackinaw; Or, The Fortress of the Lakes and its Surroundings
by W. P. (William Peter) Strickland
About the author
Born in Pittsburgh in 1809, William Peter Strickland was an American clergyman and author whose career moved across both religion and publishing. Reference sources identify him as a Methodist minister and author, and note that he later served congregations in the Presbyterian Church as well.
Strickland wrote and edited a wide range of books, especially on Methodist history, missions, and notable religious figures. His works include History of the American Bible Society, History of the Missions of the Methodist Episcopal Church, The Pioneer Bishop; or, The Life and Times of Francis Asbury, The Pioneers of the West; or, Life in the Woods, and editions connected with Peter Cartwright and other prominent ministers. He also served as a chaplain during the American Civil War.
He died in 1884. Modern reference works still remember him not only for his religious and historical writing, but also for The Astrologer of Chaldea (1855), a rare example of early American speculative fiction from a writer better known for church history and biography.