Alfred Henry Miles

Alfred Henry Miles (26 February 1848 – 30 October 1929) was a prolific Victorian-era English writer – including as an anthologist, children’s writer, editor, journalist, and poet – as well as a composer and lecturer. He published hundreds of works on a wide range of topics, ranging from poetry (The Poets and the Poetry of the Century, 10 volumes. (London: Hutchinson, 1891)), warfare (Wars of the Olden Times, Abraham to Cromwell) to household encyclopaedias with information for every conceivable contingency (The Household Oracle: A Popular Referee on Subjects of Household Enquiry), and even advice to the lovelorn (Wooing: Stories of the Course That Never Did Run Smooth by R. E. Francillon and others. Issued as a volume in The Idle Hour Series, London: Hutchinson, 1891 ). He was Guardian of the Poor for six years and a member of the London Borough of Lewisham from 1904 to 1906. He was editor of the Fifty-Two Library, a series of children’s adventure stories published by Hutchinson & Co., London in the 19th century. He compiled some fifty volumes that appeared at five shillings apiece. Selected books * The Fifty-Two Library 52v 1889–1907 *The Poets and Poetry of the Century (ed.) 10v