British economist, ethical theorist, and civil servant John Stuart Mill (1806-73) was one of the most influential English-language philosophers during the Victorian era. Autobiography, published posthumously in 1873, recounts the prolific thinker and writer's rigorous tutelage under a domineering father and his mental health crisis at age twenty. The book explores his struggle to regain joy amid self-reflection as well as a reassessment of theories he once believed to be true. Mill's insights have remained relevant in the century and a half since he published his most important works, including On Liberty, Principles of Political Economy, The Subjection of Women, and Utilitarianism.
