At the Circulating Library

Author: Percy White

Author: Percy White (1852–1938)

Biography: Percy White was born in 1852 in London, the second son of educator Dr. Charles White. He was educated at home and attended school in France where Guy de Maupassant was his classmate. He briefly taught English in a French college before drifting into journalism. For ten years (1883 to 1893) he edited Public Opinion and later edited the Evening News before its purchase by Harmsworth. Thereafter, White turned to fiction. His first novel, the satire Mr. Bailey-Martin (1893), had immediate success and he wrote steadily for the next few decades. In the words of The Times, "everything that he wrote revealed a cultivated mind; and an easy style, combined with a wide knowledge of the world and sense of humour." In 1911, he was appointed as a lecturer at the Egyptian University at Cairo. During the First World War, despite his age, he obtained a commission and worked as an interpreter, liaison officer, and intelligence officer. In 1888, he married Constance Cooper and the couple had two daughters. He died in 1938 in Monaco.

Author Tags:

• Army Officers
• Cricketers
• Editors
• Educators

References: British Census (1901); Times (4 July 1938); Who's Who (1897)

Fiction Titles:

1. Mr. Bailey-Martin: A Novel.  1 vol.  London: William Heinemann, 1894.
2. A King's Diary.  1 vol.  London: Cassell, 1895.
3. Corruption.  1 vol.  London: William Heinemann, 1895.
4. Andria.  1 vol.  London: William Heinemann, 1896.
5. A Passionate Pilgrim.  1 vol.  London: Methuen, 1897.
6. The Infatuation of the Countess.  1 vol.  London: Sands, 1899.
7. A Millionaire's Daughter.  1 vol.  London: C. Arthur Pearson, 1899.
8. The Journal of a Jealous Woman.  1 vol.  London: James Nisbet, 1900.
9. The Heart of the Dancer.  1 vol.  London: Hutchinson, 1900.
10. The West End: A Novel.  1 vol.  London: Sands, 1900.
11. The Grip of the Bookmaker.  1 vol.  London: Hutchinson, 1901.