J.Meade Falkner author page

J. Meade Falkner biography

John Meade Falkner was an English novelist and poet, best known for his adventure novel Moonfleet. He was born in 1858. Falkner attended Marlborough College and later Hertford College, Oxford, where he graduated with a degree in history.

After university, Falkner worked as a schoolmaster before joining the armaments firm Armstrong Whitworth & Co. He eventually became the company’s chairman in 1915. Alongside his business career, Falkner wrote several works of fiction and non-fiction.

His most notable novel, Moonfleet, was published in 1898 by Edward Arnold. The book has remained in print and is widely regarded as a classic of children’s literature. Falkner also wrote The Lost Stradivarius (1895) and The Nebuly Coat (1903), both published by Edward Arnold. In addition to fiction, he produced travel books and historical works, including A History of Oxfordshire (1899) and Bath (1918).

Falkner was made an Honorary Fellow of Hertford College, Oxford, in 1922. He died in 1932. Moonfleet remains his most enduring work, having inspired numerous adaptations in film, television, and radio.