Willie Riley was born in Bradford in 1866 and worked in his family's stuff business. The family branched out into magic lantern slides and apparatus, and Willie became Managing Director of the Riley Brothers Optical Lantern Company, a mail order supply company with a branch in the U.S.A. He turned to writing later in life, producing 'Windyridge' in 1911 to amuse bereaved friends. At their urging, he submitted the book to Herbert Jenkins, who published it; this heartwarming tale, full of the detail of Yorkshire life, became a best-seller. Riley became a full-time writer after the optical business collapsed, producing over 30 novels mostly set in the Yorkshire Dales. He also wrote short stories, newspaper articles, travel works, and many lectures. Riley's Methodism and love of the Dales underlie all his writings. Riley moved to Silverdale in Lancashire in 1919, where he lived first with wife Clara, whose delicate health had precipitated the move, then his second wife Edith. He died in 1961.
From the guide to the The W. Riley Archive, 1882-1964, (University of Bradford)
