Arthur Mee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Arthur Mee
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Arthur Mee with The Children's Encyclopædia.
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| Born | 21 July 1875 Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, England |
| Died | 27 May 1943 (aged 67) London, England |
| Occupation | Writer, journalist, educator |
Arthur Henry Mee (born July 21, 1875 – died May 27, 1943) was an English writer, journalist, and teacher. He is famous for creating popular books and newspapers for young people, like The Children's Encyclopædia and The Children's Newspaper. He also wrote The Harmsworth Self-Educator and The King's England. His writings often showed a strong love for his country, especially when he wrote about the English countryside or history.
Contents
Arthur Mee's Early Life
Arthur Mee was born on July 21, 1875, in Stapleford, near Nottingham, England. He was the second of ten children. His father, Henry Mee, worked on the railway. As a boy, Arthur earned money by reading reports from Hansard (records of Parliament meetings) to a local blind man.
Arthur Mee's Career in Writing
Arthur Mee left school when he was 14 years old. He started working at a local newspaper. By the time he was 20, he had become an editor. He wrote many non-fiction articles for different magazines. In 1898, he joined the staff of The Daily Mail newspaper. Five years later, he became the literary editor there.
In 1903, he began working for the publisher Alfred Harmsworth at Amalgamated Press. He became the main editor for The Harmsworth Self-Educator, which was published from 1905 to 1907. He worked on this project with John Alexander Hammerton.
Creating Books for Children
In 1908, Arthur Mee started working on The Children's Encyclopædia. This was first released as a magazine that came out every two weeks. Later, these magazines were collected and published as a set of eight books. This set was later made even bigger, growing to ten volumes.
After The Children's Encyclopædia became very popular, Mee created the first newspaper specifically for children. This was a weekly paper called Children's Newspaper. It was published for many years, until 1965.
Mee also wrote a very popular book called London – Heart of the Empire and Wonder of the World. This book explored the city of London.
Mee's Home and Interests
Arthur Mee had a large house built in Kent, overlooking the hills near Eynsford. The story of how this house was designed and built was even shown in later editions of The Children's Encyclopædia.
Arthur Mee had one child. He was interested in helping to raise a generation of citizens who loved their country and had good morals. He came from a Baptist background.
Arthur Mee's Death and Legacy
Arthur Mee passed away in London when he was 67 years old. His books continued to be published even after his death. One of his most famous works that continued was The King's England. This series was a guide to the different counties of England.
Mee's works were also successful in other countries. The Children's Encyclopædia was translated into Chinese. It also sold well in the United States under the name The Book of Knowledge.
