Bayard Taylor
A restless wanderer who turned his global adventures into best-selling books, making the exotic feel accessible to 19th-century American readers.
1825–1878 (age 53)·American poet, novelist and travel writer·Birthday: January 11
Biography
Born into a Quaker family in rural Pennsylvania, Bayard Taylor's hunger for the wider world was ignited early. At nineteen, he sailed for Europe with a small advance for travel letters, launching a lifetime of motion. He didn't just visit places; he plunged into them, traveling to Africa, Asia, and across the American West, often under arduous conditions. His vivid, energetic prose in books like 'Views A-Foot' sold phenomenally, turning him into a literary celebrity who made a living from his curiosity. Later in life, he channeled this worldly experience into diplomatic service in Russia and a celebrated translation of Goethe's 'Faust,' cementing his role as a crucial bridge between American culture and the globe.
#1 When Bayard Was Born
The biggest hits of 1825
Bayard's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1825Born
1830Started school
1838Became a teenager
1841Could drive
1843Could vote
1846Turned 21
1855Turned 30
1865Turned 40
President: Andrew Johnson
1875Turned 50
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1878Died at 53
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
Key Achievements
- His 1850 travel book 'El Dorado' chronicling the California Gold Rush became a national bestseller.
- Completed a respected two-volume translation of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's dramatic poem 'Faust' in 1870-71.
- Served as the United States Minister to Prussia from 1878 until his death later that year.
- Drew an audience of over 4,000 to a poetry reading in New York, a record for such an event that stood for decades.
Did You Know?
He was largely self-educated, having apprenticed as a printer before his literary career took off.
Taylor helped secure a pension for the aging poet Walt Whitman through his influence.
Mount Taylor in Nevada and the town of Taylor, Arizona, are named in his honor.
He was a close friend and literary executor of the American poet Nathaniel Parker Willis.
“The world is a great book, of which they who never stir from home read only a page.”
