Henry Salt Archive
This archive brings together a selection of Henry Salt's writings previously unavailable in his books. In addition we've added sections on Salt's circle of friends and influences in order to give visitors a brief introduction to the life and times of Henry S. Salt.
HENRY S. SALT
Henry Stephens Salt (1851–1939) was an English writer and social reformer whose work brought praise from the likes of Mahatma Gandhi. Whatever humanitarian cause Salt chose to write about he demonstrated great logic and wit to show the folly of those who opposed progress. His studies of Thoreau, Shelley and Jefferies remain highly respected even today, epecially his Life of Henry David Thoreau. Salt's classic Animals' Rights Considered in Relation to Social Progress is still in print, whilst A Plea for Vegetarianism is highly sought-after. His circle of friends included Ernest Bell, George Bernard Shaw and Edward Carpenter.
Alarming Conditions...
Writing in The Commonweal Henry Salt describes the Alarming Condition of the West-End. Even in 2013 the conditions he describes are really apt for today: "It has long been generally understood that most of the inhabitants of the West-end are permanently out of work, but the extreme gravity of their condition has never yet been sufficiently realised."
Salt and the Dean
It's surprising to delve into the ecclesiastical aspect of the Vegetarian movement and discover that Henry Salt, a lifelong agnostic, should have acquired such an influential role in Christian affairs.
John M. Gilheany, author of Familiar Strangers, looks into Salt's skirmishes with the Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral.
Ellen M. Salt's Diary
Salt's mother, Ellen Matilda Salt, kept a very short diary of events of Henry's early years.
The late Denis Salt sent a transcribed copy to researchers in 1992. We've now acquired a copy of this interesting list.