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At the Circulating Library

A Database of Victorian Fiction, 1837–1901

A Database of Victorian Fiction, 1837–1901

Author: Frederick Leal

Author: Frederick Leal (1861–1897)

Biography: Frederick Josiah Leal was born in 1861 in Islington, the son of public servant Josiah Leal, later the postmaster of Leeds (1879–1893). Early on he worked as an amenuensis before turning to journalism. He wrote the single novel Wynter's Masterpiece (1892) which enjoyed a serial run in the Leeds Times. In addtion, he seemed to have been an inveterate writer of letters to newspapers. He clearly suffered a downfall being arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct after an argument with a cabman. When he still refused to pay, Leal served a brief sentence. He died a few years later in 1897.

Author Tags:

References: British Census (1861, 1871, 1881); Leeds Times (30 April 1892); Reynold's Newspaper (11 October 1896)

Fiction Titles:

  1. Wynter's Masterpiece: A Novel.  2 vol.  London: Swan Sonnenschein, 1892.