Beresford was an English writer, now remembered for his early science fiction and some short stories in the horror story and ghost story genres. Beresford was a great admirer of H.G. Wells, and wrote the first critical study of Wells in 1915. His Wellsian novel The Hampdenshire Wonder was a major influence on Olaf Stapledon. His other science-fiction novels include The Riddle of the Tower, about a dystopian, hive-like society. Elisabeth Beresford (1926-2010), children's writer and creator of The Wombles, was his daughter. Through his son, writer Marc Brandel (Marcus Beresford), he is the great-grandfather of American actor James Newman.
