Herbert Best
Herbert Best, born on March 25, 1894, in Chester, England, was an English writer and former colonial officer whose experiences shaped much of his literary work. After graduating with an LL.B. from Cambridge University, he served as a lieutenant in the Royal Engineers during World War I. Following the war, Best worked in the British Colonial Civil Service in northern Nigeria, where he drew inspiration for his writing, including his notable book *A Rumor of Drums*, which reflects his experiences as a World War I veteran in a colonial setting.
Best's literary career began with *Garram the Hunter: A Boy of the Hill Tribes*, recognized as a Newbery Honor Book in 1931. He collaborated closely with his wife, Evangel Allena Champlin, a writer and illustrator who contributed to many of his children's books and nonfiction works. The couple lived in various locations, including England, the United States, and the Caribbean, which served as backdrops for many of Best's stories.
Best's body of work includes a diverse range of genres, from children's literature to speculative fiction, with titles like *The Twenty-Fifth Hour* foreshadowing the consequences of war. While many of his books remain available through libraries and used-book markets, some critiques have emerged regarding his portrayal of minority characters, reflecting changing cultural sensitivities over time.
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Herbert Best
Fiction Writer
- Born: March 25, 1894
- Birthplace: Chester, Cheshire, England
- Died: July 1, 1981
- Place of death: Sharon, Connecticut
Biography
Oswald Herbert Best was born on March 25, 1894, in Chester, Cheshire, England. He attended King’s School in Chester and graduated from Queen’s College at Cambridge University with an LL.B. in 1914. World War I began shortly after he graduated, and he served as a lieutenant in the Royal Engineers from 1914 to 1919. After the war, he joined the British Colonial Civil Service and was a district officer from 1919 to 1932 in northern Nigeria. He used his war experiences as the basis for A Rumor of Drums. The main character, like Best himself, is a World War I veteran who served in Nigeria in the colonial service. Best met his future wife, Evangel Allena Champlin, an American, when he returned to England on leave. Three years later she journeyed to Nigeria to see him. They married when he visited her in the United States in 1926 while on leave. She became a successful writer and illustrator under the name of Erick Berry and illustrated many of Best’s children’s books. She also cowrote much of his nonfiction, such as Writing for Children, Men Who Changed the Map, and The Polynesian Triangle. Best’s first book was Garram the Hunter: A Boy of the Hill Tribes, which was selected as a Newbery Honor Book for 1931.
After Best left the colonial service, he and his wife lived in Devonshire, England; the Lake Champlain district in upstate New York; Jamaica; the British West Indies; and spent some winters on the island of Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands. They were living in Sharon, Connecticut, when Champlin died in 1974. Best died there in 1980.
Best used the places he lived as the setting for many of his books. Examples are Africa for Garram the Hunter and Garram the Chief, Jamaica for The Columbus Cannon and Not Without Danger, and upstate New York for Gunsmith’s Boy and Young ’Un. Just before World War II, Best wrote what could now be considered a science-fiction novel called The Twenty-Fifth Hour. In the book, he tried to warn readers about the consequences of a future war. Obviously, no one paid attention, and World War II took place anyway. Best also wrote the Desmond the Dog Detective Series for children. Many of Best’s books are out of print, but they are still available in libraries and on the used-book market. Best’s keen ear for dialect and thorough research made his books highly regarded in their time, but more recent critics have complained that the author’s descriptions of minority characters are stereotypical.