Sarah Harkness – Literature for the People

From an impoverished childhood in the Scottish Highlands to Victorian London, this is the inspiring story of Daniel and Alexander Macmillan, who created a publishing empire. Daniel and Alexander Macmillan, sons of Scottish crofters, arrived in London in the 1830s at a crucial moment of social change and went on to set up a publishing house that spread radical ideas on equality, science, and education across the world. They cultivated the literary greats of the time, such as Lewis Carroll, Thomas Hardy, Charles Kingsley and Christina Rosetti, weathered controversy and tragedy, and fostered a dynasty that would include future prime minister Harold Macmillan. In Literature for the People, Sarah brings to life fascinating insights about the great, the good and the sometimes-wayward writers of the Victorian era. With feuds, friendships and passionate debate, Sarah’s vibrant book is bursting with all the energy of that exciting period in history.

Sarah Harkness worked in corporate finance for twenty years, latterly as a partner at Arthur Andersen. She spent three years as Pro-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield. She is now a trustee of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and chairs the audit committees of Orthopaedic Research UK and Oriel College, Oxford. She holds an Honorary Doctorate from Sheffield University and an Honorary Fellowship at Mansfield College.