Henry S. Salt
Henry Salt was a writer, campaigner, and social reformer, who is best known for his work as an advocate of animal rights and vegetarianism. Henry Salt was also known for his literary criticism, especially his biographies of Shelley and Thoreau.
Henry Salt wrote a seminal, scholarly book called Animals’ Rights Considered in Relation to Social Progress. Peter Singer describes this book as the best of the 18th and 19th century works on the subject. Salt was also well-known as a literary critic, biographer, classical scholar and naturalist, and as the man who introduced Ghandi to the influential works of Henry David Thoreau.
Salt enjoyed the company and friendship of many of the most notable writers and thinkers of his date, including Bernard Shaw, Edward Carpenter, and W. H. Hudson, and, as secretary of the Humanitarian League, he met, and had the friendly support of Russell Wallace, Thomas Hardy, George Meredith, G. K. Chesterton and many other writers and thinkers.
The Humanitarian League
The Humanitarian League (1891-1919) was a radical British pressure group opposed all avoidable suffering on any sentient being.
Henry Salt photo gallery
Photographs from Henry Salt’s personal collection, featuring Catherine Leigh Salt and several of his relatives.
Literary Critic and Man of Letters
Henry Salt was most satisfied when he treated authors with whom he had most sympathy, such as Percy Bysshe Shelley and Henry David Thoreau.
Catherine Leigh Salt
Kate, as she was known to her friends, was a remarkable reformer. Admired by Shaw and Carpenter for her literary skills.
Ernest Bell
Ernest Bell was a publisher, author and one of the most significant figures in the history of the humanitarian, vegetarian and animal rights movements.
CVM GRANO
Roadmap for the Henry Salt site
Setting out our plans for the Henry Salt Foundation site for the next two years.
Henry Salt Annual Review
End of year review of the highlights and lowlights of the work of the Henry Salt Foundation in 2023
Kim Stallwood becomes our patron
Kim Stallwood has agreed to become a patron of the Henry S. Salt Foundation.
Henry Salt Books
Henry Salt wrote almost forty books, including Animals’ Rights and Life of Henry David Thoreau.
BBC Radio Henry Salt Broadcast
In 1977 BBC Radio broadcast a feature on Henry Salt, including contributions from Mrs Catherine Salt.
“My pastime has been writing sermons in plays, sermons preaching what Salt practiced.”
George Bernard Shaw
