When was Samuel Smiles born and where did he live?
Samuel Smiles was born on the 23rd of December 1812 in Haddington, East Lothian. He lived on Woodhouse Cliff from 1847 onward.
Questions about Samuel Smiles
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What career did Samuel Smiles abandon before becoming an author?
Samuel Smiles abandoned his career as a doctor after several cooperative ventures failed for lack of capital. He studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh starting in 1829 but left to pursue writing.
How many copies did Samuel Smiles Self-Help sell by his death in 1904?
By his death in 1904, Samuel Smiles Self-Help had sold over a quarter of a million copies. The book initially sold 20,000 copies within one year of publication in 1859.
Which five volumes make up Samuel Smiles Lives of the Engineers series?
Lives of the Engineers consists of five volumes published between 1862 and 1874 covering engineers like James Brindley, John Smeaton, Thomas Telford, Boulton and Watt, and George Stephenson. Industrial Biography followed in 1863 including lives of Andrew Yarranton and Benjamin Huntsman.
Why was Samuel Smiles Self-Help called the bible of mid-Victorian liberalism?
M.J. Cohen and John Major called Samuel Smiles Self-Help the bible of mid-Victorian liberalism because it promoted thrift and self-improvement. Building societies adopted messages of thrift represented in Thrift published 1875 based on these ideas.