One of Britain's most popular poets during the early decades of the twentieth century, Henry John Newbolt was also a novelist,editor, and critic. A leading figure in literary circles, he was the friend of many of the important writers of his time, including W. B. Yeats, Thomas Hardy, Robert Bridges, Edmund Gosse, Walter de la Mare, and Henry James. Despite his very different view of poetry, he also knew and encouraged the work of such poets as Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot. Newbolt was equally well known among the statesmen and soldiers of his time through his public service, especially during World War I. Newbolt was a public-minded poet and scholar who believed that writers should mix with the world.

Newbolt was born in the Black Country town of Bilston, Staffordshire, the son of Henry Francis Newbolt, vicar of St. Mary's Church, and his second wife...