Aubrey Wyatt Tilby was an author, journalist and traveler. He was born in Addiscombe, Surrey on 1st April, 1880.
Much of his childhood is described in his autobiographical novel, "A Stiff-Necked Generation". After his mother died in 1885, he was initially looked after by Thomas Martin Tilby ("Unlce Martin") and his wife Ellen in Islington (see 1891 census). Having been told that his health was such that he was unlikely to live to adulthood, his surrogate parents later sent him to live with his Aunt Harriet in Eastbourne, where she educated him herself at home.
As a young adult he spent much of his time travelling and studying in Europe, mainly in Germany, Austria and Italy (see diary). In 1905 he joined the editorial staff of the "Globe", during which time he also worked on his six-volume history, "The English People Overseas". In 1915 he was appointed editor of the "Evening Standard", but suspected TB forced him to reduce his journalistic commitments the following year. The illness left him with a permanently deformed hip which also prevented the continuation of his history writing; instead he turned to writing on philosophy.
A frequent contributor to "The Edinburgh Review" and "The Nineteenth Century", he had a thirty five year association with "The Glasgow Herald" as a reviewer, special correspondent and (from 1944) a Leader-Writer. He also edited "The Outlook" from 1924 to 1928 and "The Saturday Review" from 1930.
Married to Kathleen (nee Brewer) for thirty-nine years, he had three children and eight grandchildren. He died in Glasgow on 1st September 1948.
His published works include:
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The English People Overseas Vol I–VI:
- Volume I: The English people overseas. A History (Francis Griffiths, 1908) Free download
- Volume II: British India, 1600-1828 (Constable and Co., 1911)
- Volume III: British North America, 1763-1867 (Constable and Co., 1911) Free download
- Volume IV: Britain in the Tropics, 1527-1910 (Constable and Co., 1912) Free download
- Volume V: Australasia, 1688-1911(Constable and Co., 1912)
- Volume VI: South Africa, 1486-1913 (Constable and Co., 1914) Free download
- The evolution of Consciousness (T. Fisher Unwin Ltd, 1922)
- The Quest of Reality (William Heinemann Ltd, 1927)
- Lord John Russell (Cassell & Company, 1930)
- Right, A Study in Physical and Moral Order (Williams and Norgate, 1933)
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