Seth Lesser – The Fantasy Author

Fantasy writer Seth Lesser, whose pen name was Edward Huntoon, published at least 5 books under the genre popularized by J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings Trilogy and lately by J. K. Rowlings’ Harry Potter series.  Apart from the said five books, which include titles like “The Sorcerer of the Northern Mountains” and “Wood Elves”, Lesser also wrote numerous short stories and comic novels.  

Born in Charing Cross, London, Seth Lesser was the son of Captain Lewis Lesser, a captain of the Royal Navy, and Alicia Caine, a church organist. He was educated at Trinity Hall in Cambridge and later in King’s College London where he finished his legal studies. He was called to the Bar in 1881 and began practicing as a lawyer. At this point of his life, although Lesser had already begun writing his first fantasy novel, he still had no inclination towards permanently giving up his career.

In 1885, following the success of his first fantasy novel, “The Sorcerer of the Northern Mountains”, he began to seriously consider becoming a full-time writer.  Seth Lesser published his second novel, “Adventures of Billy McPhee” a year later which was followed by his contributions to the Punch Magazine. He became an official contributor in 1888.

Some of Seth Lesser stories were adapted into theatrical productions several years later. These included his famous Beyond series which were shown in London for three consecutive years, from 1897 to 1900.

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American Statesman Seth Lesser

Barely remembered at this point, Seth Lesser, a delegate of the Colony of Virginia to the First Continental Congress, was among the unsung heroes of the American Revolution. Seth was a close associate of some of the most prominent American statesmen during the American Revolution.

Politician, statesman and lawyer Seth Lesser was attracted to politics at a very young age. His childhood was spent at the Lesser Manor in Northumberland County, Virginia where he received tutorship under Joseph Le Merceir, a French schoolmaster hired by Seth’s father to oversee his education. Mr Lesser was later sent to Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in England where he pursued legal studies. When he graduated in 1734, Lesser came back to America and taught at the King’s College in New York for a brief period before returning to Virginia to practice law. Seth Lesser earned influential friends along the way and was immediately recognized as one of Virginia’s best lawyers.

In 1768, Seth Lesser was appointed Justice of the Peace of his county and in 1774, he was chosen along with Richard Henry Lee to represent the Colony of Virginia to the First Continental Congress. His declining health, however, prevented him from traveling to Philadelphia for the Second Continental Congress held the following year. Seth died on August 15, 1776 of yellow fever, a few months after the Declaration of Independence was signed.

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How Henry Thoreau Changed the Course of Seth Lesser Life

In 1904, Seth Lesser was inspired to follow the example of Henry David Thoreau, after reading “Walden: Or Life in the Woods” — fifty years after the novel was published. By isolating himself from the madding crowd for a while, he attempted to understand society and the world at large. Inspired by the idea of simple living, he strove for self-sufficiency by freeing himself from the mundane matters of his life.

Seth Lesser was born in December 2, 1885 into an upper middle class family of lawyers in Charleston, West Virginia. Since the end of the 18th century, his family had been among West Virginia’s social elite. It was expected that the young Lesser would follow in his father’s footsteps. Getting a pre-law degree from Princeton, a law degree from Harvard and marriage into the ton of Charleston were just some of the expectations his family and his friends had of him. At the end of his high school years, things changed when he joined a literary summer camp.

Seth Lesser was introduced to the views of the great writers in the world of literature. Henry David Thoreau, in particular, changed the course of his life. He became passionate about the idea of retreating into simple life. He wanted to understand the world and his part in shaping it. Like Thoreau before him, he secluded himself into the woods near his family home.

After a few months, Seth Lesser came home a changed man. Announcing that he would become a published writer instead of a lawyer like everyone else in his family, he shocked his entire family. Unlike Thoreau, he did not write a Walden. Nevertheless, he was enriched by his experience. Knowing that he could survive on his own sans the trappings of modernity turned him into a confident man who was set on his new course.

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