[Gutenberg 24632] • The Fifth Form at Saint Dominic's: A School Story

Talbot Baines Reed (1852-1893) was an English writer who specialised in boys school stories, the most famous of which were The Fifth Form at St. Dominic s and The Adventures of a Three-Guinea Watch (1880/1883). Born in Hackney, London, Reed was the third son of Sir Charles Reed, who served as Member of Parliament. Reed s family was also closely involved with the Religious Tract Society, which founded the Boy s Own Paper, a periodical which published all of his stories. Reed more than any other late 19th century writer was responsible for the ensuing popularity of school stories in British children s fiction. Although all of Reed s school stories were first serialised in the Boy s Own Paper, some of them were published in book form. These works include: My Friend Smith (1882); The Willoughby Captains (1883); Reginald Cruden (1885); Follow My Leader (1885); A Dog with a Bad Name (1886); The Master of the Shell (1887); Sir Ludar (1889); Roger Ingleton, Minor (1889); The Cock-House at Fellsgarth (1891); Tom, Dick and Harry (1892); Kilgorman (1894); Parkhurst Boys (1905) and Boycotted (1917).