Moonfleet: New Windmills

J. Meade Falkner (1858-1932) was an English businessman, novelist, and poet. Born in Wiltshire, he was raised in Dorchester and Weymouth. Falkner attended Marlborough College and Hertford College, Oxford, graduating in 1882 with a history degree. He worked as a teacher at Derby School before being hired as a tutor for Sir Andrew Noble, chairman of the arms manufacturer Armstrong Whitworth Co. In 1915, Falkner succeeded Noble as chairman, retiring six years later to travel the world. Moonfleet, an adventure novel set in 18th century England, draws on his extensive knowledge of the geography of Dorset and the Isle of Wight. In addition to poems, a book on Oxfordshire history, and several topographical guides, Falkner published two other novels in his lifetime.