Life and Times of the Right Honourable William Henry Smith M.P

This Is A Lively Two-Volume Biography First Published In 1893 Of The Influential Victorian Businessman And Politician W. H. Smith (18251891) Whose Father And Uncle Established The Well-Known Stationery And Bookselling Business. The Author Herbert Maxwell (1845-1932) Was A Scottish Essayist And Conservative Member Of Parliament Who Greatly Admired Smith''S Human Qualities And Had Access To His Personal Papers. Volume 1 Documents The Foundation Of The Newspaper Wholesaling Business Smith''S Education And His Thwarted Desire To Become A Priest. It Describes How Smith Helped His Father Expand Their Efficient And Successful Business To Include A Chain Of Railway Station News- And Bookstalls And A Lending Library As Well As Becoming Sole Agents For The Times In 1854. Smith Went Into Parliament In 1868 And Worked For Several Years At The Treasury. Volume 1 Ends With His Tour To Cyprus In 1878 As First Lord Of The Admiralty.