George Alfred Henty (1832-1902) was a British novelist.

He studied at Westminster School and at Gonville and Caius College in Cambridge, where he was an avid sportsman. His physical prowess made it possible for him to be selected for duty in the Crimean War. Later he became a war correspondent for the London Standard and witnessed the revolt of Giuseppe Garibaldi in Italy, the Franco-Prussian War, the civil war in Spain and the opening of the Suez Canal. He travelled in Africa, India and California.

Henty's storytelling skills allegedly grew out of tales told after dinner to his own children. He wrote over 140 books, not counting short stories for magazines. His fiction typically revolved around a fictional boy (or boys) living in "troubled times". These ranged from Punic War to the more recent conflicts such as Napoleonic Wars or American Civil War. The protagonists were uniformly intelligent, courageous and devoted without reserve to their country or cause. They also hold on steadily to Christian values (where applicable).

External link

• Works by G. A. Henty from Project Gutenberg