Walter Sichel

Walter Sydney Sichel (1855–1933) was a British writer, critic, and biographer. He was educated at University College School in London and later at Balliol College, Oxford. Over the course of his career he became especially associated with biographical writing, publishing studies of well-known historical figures including Emma Hamilton, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, and Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston.

His work is often noted for combining careful use of documents with an engaging, literary style. Alongside his biographies, he also wrote essays and criticism, and he contributed to the wider literary culture of his time.

Sichel’s books helped keep nineteenth-century biographical writing lively and accessible, appealing to readers who wanted history told with both detail and personality. Although not a household name today, he remains of interest to readers drawn to literary biography and late Victorian and Edwardian nonfiction.