Educated at Marlborough and Hertford College, Oxford, Falkner initially became a tutor for the children of Sir Andrew Noble, the vice-chairman of the Armstrong-Whitworth Company. Noble was impressed with Falkner and, in 1885, offered him a position in the company. Falkner rose to be a director of the company by 1901 and in 1915 became the chairman. He continued as a director until his retirement in 1926. Notwithstanding his business interests, Falkner was an avid scholar, novelist and collector. He was decorated by the Italian, Turkish and Japanese governments in addition to being awarded a Papal gold medal for his Vatican research. In 1895, he published The Lost Stradivarius, perhaps his best work and the one for which he best remembered today. In addition to his novels, Falkner also produced some verse, historical short stories and county handbooks. His works include Handbook for Travellers in Oxfordshire (1894), Moonfleet (1898), A History of Oxfordshire (1899), Handbook for Berkshire (1902), The Nebuly Coat (1903) and Bath in History and Social Tradition (1918). |
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