author
Walter Besant
1836–1901
A hugely popular Victorian storyteller, he wrote vivid novels about London life and used his fame to push for practical improvements in the city. His work mixed entertainment with a strong interest in history, social conditions, and the everyday lives of ordinary people.
34 Audiobooks
Jerusalem, the City of Herod and Saladin
by Walter Besant, Edward Henry Palmer
Westminster
by Walter Besant, G. E. (Geraldine Edith) Mitton, Mrs. A. Murray Smith
All Sorts and Conditions of Men: An Impossible Story
by Walter Besant
The Fourth Generation
by Walter Besant
The Strand District
by Walter Besant, G. E. (Geraldine Edith) Mitton
The History of London
by Walter Besant
The inner house
by Walter Besant
South London
by Walter Besant
The Changeling
by Walter Besant
Holborn and Bloomsbury
by Walter Besant, G. E. (Geraldine Edith) Mitton
London in the Time of the Stuarts
by Walter Besant
The Queen's Reign and Its Commemoration A literary and pictorial review of the period; the story of the Victorian transformation
by Walter Besant
Mediæval London, Volume 2: Ecclesiastical
by Walter Besant
London in the Time of the Tudors
by Walter Besant
East London
by Walter Besant
Fifty Years Ago
by Walter Besant
Armorel of Lyonesse: A Romance of To-day
by Walter Besant
Early London: Prehistoric, Roman, Saxon and Norman
by Walter Besant
Mediæval London, Volume 1: Historical & Social
by Walter Besant
In Luck at Last
by Walter Besant
The Golden Butterfly
by Walter Besant, James Rice
The Eulogy of Richard Jefferies
by Walter Besant
The Chaplain of the Fleet
by Walter Besant, James Rice
For Faith and Freedom
by Walter Besant
The Orange Girl
by Walter Besant
As We Are and As We May Be
by Walter Besant
London
by Walter Besant
London City
by Walter Besant
The Lady of Lynn
by Walter Besant
Westminster
by Walter Besant
The Ivory Gate, a new edition
by Walter Besant
The Revolt of Man
by Walter Besant
The art of fiction
by Walter Besant
The Master Craftsman
by Walter Besant
About the author
Sir Walter Besant was an English novelist, historian, and social reformer born in Portsmouth on August 14, 1836, and he died in London on June 9, 1901. After studying at King’s College London and Christ’s College, Cambridge, he taught for several years at the Royal College in Mauritius before returning to England and turning fully to writing.
He first won wide attention through novels written with James Rice, and later became known for his own fiction, histories, and essays. Many readers remember him for books set in London, especially works that explored the East End and combined strong storytelling with a concern for poverty, housing, and urban life.
Beyond his books, Besant was active in public causes. He supported authors’ rights and was closely connected with projects for education and culture in East London, including the movement that led to the People’s Palace. That mix of popular writing and civic energy helped make him one of the best-known literary figures of late Victorian England.