Stone was brought to Australia when he was 13 years old and lived in the poorer areas of Sydney. He was educated at the University of Sydney, although he did not graduate, and primary school teacher training. He began teaching in New South Wales in 1895 and spent a number of years there before returning to Sydney in 1904. Around 1908, he married Abigail Allen and began writing a novel, Jonah, which he published in 1911. The novel was largely ignored at the time, although it did receive some glowing reviews. In 1912, a nervous disease began to make itself felt and caused Stone to be absent from work because of it. In 1913 and 1914, he serialized his second novel, Betty Wayside in Lone Hand magazine, finally publishing it in book form in 1915. It would be his last novel. Apart from a couple of short stories, his other works include The Lap of the Gods (1923) and The Watch That Wouldn't Go, both dramatic plays. Stone retired in 1931 due to his illness and succumbed to it in 1935. Today, his novel Jonah is highly respected as a quality work from an obviously gifted author. |
