A Walk from London to John O'Groat's (Dodo Press) Book

Elihu Burritt (1810-1879) was an American philanthropist and social activist. He was active in many causes, namely opposing slavery, working for temperance, and trying to achieve world peace. These accomplishments caused President Lincoln to appoint him as a United States consul in Birmingham, England. During a trip abroad in 1846-47, he was deeply touched by the suffering of the Irish peasantry. In 1847, his pamphlet Four Months in Skibbereen made residents of the United States more aware of the Potato Famine in Ireland. In 1848, he organized a precursive entity to the League of Nations and the United Nations called the first international congress of the Friends of Peace, which convened in Brussels in September, 1848. He published over 37 books and articles, including Sparks From the Anvil (1847), A Walk From London to John O'Groat's (1864), Lectures and Speeches (1866) and Ten Minute Talks (1873).