Herbert Cole

A child's book of warriors. By Herbert Cole

William Canton (27 October 1845 - 2 May 1926) was a British poet, journalist and writer, now best known for his contributions to children's literature. These include his series of three books, beginning with The Invisible Playmate, written for his daughter Winifred Vida (1891-1901). In his lifetime he was known for his use of recent archeological evidence of prehistory in his poetry. He was born at Chusan in China to a Catholic family of civil servants. His childhood was spent mostly in Jamaica. He studied for the priesthood at Douai and later in Paris, but eventually abandoned the presthood as a vocation to become a teacher and writer. He later left the Roman Catholic Church to become a protestant. He worked as a journalist in London and Glasgow, where he became editor of the Glasgow Weekly Herald and later a leader-writer for the Glasgow Herald