Published in 1893, this lively biography of the influential Victorian businessman and politician W. H. Smith (1825-1891) contains a wealth of fascinating personal, political and social detail, from the newspaper wholesaler's time-critical early-morning despatch operations to late-night dinners with prime ministers and aristocrats.

A lively, wide-ranging 1893 biography of an influential Victorian newspaper wholesaler, bookseller and politician whose retail business survives today.