(b Ashton-under-Lyne [now in Greater Manchester], 1862; d Oxhey, Herts, Nov 27, 1929). English writer. He was originally a school master, but at about the age of 30 his family connections in newspaper publishing and his successful contributions to many publications encouraged him to become a full-time journalist. He spent several years on the editorial staff of various newspapers and contributed regularly to the daily, weekly, and monthly press. In 1914 Mills collaborated with Hubert von Herkomer on The Old Wood Carver: A Tale of the Fourteenth Century Retold (London, [1914]), a book version of one of Herkomer’s experimental films, which was illustrated with 52 stills from the film. Subsequently Mills was chosen to write a biography of Herkomer and was given full access to the painter’s private papers and those of his family; the book remains the standard text on the artist. Mills also wrote a biography of the journalist and editor Sir Edward Cook, who, with Alexander Wedderburn, edited the Library Edition of the works of John Ruskin....