W. (William) Riley

Born in Bradford in 1866, William Riley published under the name W. Riley and is often remembered as Willie Riley. Before becoming a full-time author, he worked in the family business and later in the sale of optical lantern materials. After that business collapsed during the First World War, he built a second career as a novelist.

His breakout success was Windyridge in 1912, a book strongly associated with Yorkshire and one that remained his best-known work. He went on to write 39 books, mostly fiction, and his stories helped make him a popular regional writer with a loyal readership.

Riley lived a long life, dying in 1961, and his work has continued to attract interest from readers and local archives in Bradford. He is especially valued for the warmth of his storytelling and for the picture his novels give of Yorkshire life in the early 20th century.