Literature for the People

Harkness is the best kind of biographer: meticulous, insightful and a great storyteller. This tale of two lives in all their messy reality is so much more enjoyable than any dry or self-promoting publishing history, while at the same time its rich historical, social and intellectual context makes this essential reading for anyone interested in the Victorians. – Ophelia Field, author of The Kit-Kat Club and The FavouriteThis is a tremendous read. The story of the Macmillan brothers will captivate anyone with an interest in books and publishing. So well researched and incredibly readable. Sure to be a book of the year – S.G. MacLean, author of The Winter ListThrough meticulous and exuberant detail, this chronicle of two men’s determination to bring literature to the masses blows apart the stereotype of a prim Victorian era. It proves yet again that nothing is inevitable in history – and even the great publishing empires like Macmillan needed adventurers to cut a swathe through established ideas of what people should read. They transformed the canon of English literature through their bold editorial decisions – and this book is an important reminder that stories and ideas flourish in the public imagination because of the combined work of publishers, editors and booksellers cherishing and exploiting the original works of great authors – Sir Chris Bryant, MPRevealing and sympathetic … in Harkness’s persuasive and fluent telling, the Macmillans were at the heart of Victorian intellectual concerns – The New StatesmanAbsorbing – Literary ReviewAnyone interested in the book trade and literary networks of the Victorian era will find much of interest and value here. The Macmillan brothers were so crucial to the success of so many significant authors that their life stories can’t help being a wider cultural history of their time – Times Literary SupplementA testament to the dynamism of the Victorian period and a demonstration of how family history can be told via the story of a business – Who Do You Think You Are?

Sarah Harkness’ first book was a biography of Victorian artist and writer Nelly Erichsen. In October 2021 she was awarded an MA with Distinction in Biography at the University of Buckingham, studying under Professor Jane Ridley. Her 40,000 word dissertation covered five crucial years in the career of Alexander Macmillan. In 2021 she won the Tony Lothian Prize, awarded by The Biographers’ Club for the best proposal for an uncommissioned biography. Sarah is married with three adult children and lives in the Cotswolds.