Dick o' the fens

George Manville Fenn (3 January 1831, Pimlico - 26 August 1909, Isleworth) was a prolific English novelist, journalist, editor and educationalist. Many of his novels were written for young adults. His final book was a biography of his fellow writer for juveniles, George Alfred Henty. *Life and works* Fenn, the third child and eldest son of a butler, Charles Fenn, was largely self-educated, teaching himself French, German and Italian. After studying at Battersea Training College for Teachers (1851-54), he became the master of a national school at Alford, Lincolnshire. He later became a printer, editor and publisher of short-lived periodicals, before attracting the attention of Charles Dickens and others with a sketch for All the Year Round in 1864. He contributed to Chambers's Journal and Once a Week. In 1866, he wrote a series of articles on working-class life for the newspaper The Star. These were collected and republished in four volumes. They were followed by a similar series in the Weekly Times.Fenn's first story for boys, Hollowdell Grange, appeared in 1867. It was followed by a long list of other novels for juveniles and adults. Having become editor of Cassell's Magazine in 1870, he purchased Once a Week and edited it until it closed in 1879. He also wrote for the theatre.Fenn and his family lived at Syon Lodge, Isleworth, Middlesex, where he built up a library of 25,000 volumes and took up telescope making. His last book was a biography of a great fellow writer of boys' stories, George Alfred Henty. He died at home on 26 August 1909.... Frank Dadd (British, 1851-1929) Frank Dadd was born on the 28th March 1851 in London. He studied at the Royal College of Art and at the Royal Academy Schools, where he won a Silver medal for drawing from life. He commenced black and white work in about 1882 and worked as an illustrator for the Illustrated London News from 1878-1884 and then at The Graphic. He specialised in historical and genre paintings, and in addition illustrated several books including "All is not gold that glitters", "The Flag Beer and Skittles", "The Captain of the Troop", "Follow the drum", "Coaching days and Coaching ways", and Baring Goulds "The Broom Squire" and "Types of the Army and Navy". He was honoured to have his paintings chosen for exhibition at the Royal Academy from 1878. He was elected to the Royal Institute of Painters in Water-colours in 1884 and the Royal Institute of Oil Painters in 1888. He lived at Wallington in Surrey and later at Teignmouth in Devon where he died on 7th March 1929.