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.

His Autobiography, published posthumously in 1873, recounts his rigorous tutelage under a domineering father, his mental health crisis at age twenty, and his struggle to regain joy amid self-reflection and a reassessment of theories he once believed to be true.

A prolific thinker and writer, his insights have remained relevant in the century and a half since he published his most important works, including Principles of Political Economy, On Liberty, Utilitarianism, and The Subjection of Women.