The Dragon and the Raven by G. A. Henty, Fiction, Historical
In all subsequent ages England has produced no single man who united in himself so many great qualities as did this first of great Englishmen. King Alfred was learned, wise, brave, prudent and pious; devoted to his people, clement to his conquered enemies. He was as great in peace as in war; and yet few know the tale of Alfred's reign. . .
George Alfred Henty was a prolific English novelist and war correspondent. He is best known for his historical adventure stories that were popular in the late 19th century. In the days of King Alfred, when the whole country of Britain was for years overrun by hordes of pagan barbarians, who slaughtered, plundered, and destroyed at will. From this terrible state of subjection and suffering the Saxons were rescued by the prudence, the patience, the valor and wisdom of King Alfred. In all subsequent ages England has produced no single man who united in himself so many great qualities as did this first of great Englishmen.
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Become an affiliateGeorge Alfred Henty (1832-1902) was born in Trumpington, England. He studied at Cambridge but left without his degree to volunteer for service in the Crimean War. After several failed attempts at careers, he decided in 1865 to become a writer, beginning as a correspondent for the Standard. He wrote his first boys' adventure, Out of the Pampas, in 1868, and its popularity spurred him to write some eighty more children's books. Drawing on his own experiences fighting in the Crimean War and as a foreign correspondent in Europe and Africa, Henty fashioned stories for children that combined realism and what he called a "manly tone." His novels encompass an array of times and places from the early days of Egypt to the mines of the California Gold Rush. He died in 1906, having left a legacy of 144 books and several short stories.