Will G. Mein


William Gordon Mein was a British book illustrator who flourished in the late 19th to early 20th century. He lived in London from around the turn of the century.

Life and works

Mein was born in Kelso, Roxburgh, Scotland. His painting On the Tweed Near Berwick was exhibited by the Royal Scottish Academy in 1898 but he is known primarily for his illustrations. His drawings were published in The Dome periodical, with contemporary artists Laurence Housman and Frank Mura. He was engaged by publisher Andrew Melrose to illustrate W. E. Cule's fairy tale Mabel's Prince Wonderful - his first major book illustration commission. Around the same time, the Decadent publisher Leonard Smithers commissioned him to illustrate Nigel Tourneur's Hidden Witchery.
Mein married Frances Elizabeth Sinclair in December 1902, in Berwick, and they settled in Fulham, London. In the 1911 Census he was living at 18 Rostrevor Mans Rd. Fulham and his occupation is listed as artist and Art Chronicle editor. He is known in particular for illustrating works of fairy tale and fantasy and also specialised in boys' stories. He provided woodcut illustrations for The Roadmender by Michael Fairless, which went through many editions.
He died in London in 1939.

Selected works illustrated by Mein