Taylor began as a printer's apprentice when he was 17. He published his first work, Ximena, a collection of poems, in 1844. He contracted with the Saturday Evening Post and United States Gazette to pay for a trip abroad in return for his travel letters, which were collected into Views Afoot in 1846. This proved to be a great success and in 1850, he published Eldorado, his account of the California gold rush of 1849. He travelled extensively to all parts of the globe and published a large number of travel books. He also translated Goethe's Faust, which is probably his best known work. In 1878, Taylor was appointed US minister to Germany, but died shortly thereafter. |
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