Alfred Arthur Reade was born on January 21, 1851, in Snelson, Cheshire, England.

He was a British publisher, journalist, and writer. He was trained as a journalist in Manchester and worked in several capacities, including that of a special correspondent in Paris in the late 1880s. He described it in his book "My Trip to Paris: How to Get There, and How to Live There" (1878). He edited the short-lived periodicals Assure and The Counting House. He was also a teacher of English composition at the Young Men's Christian Association in Manchester. He wrote various articles published in both British and American journals and was the author of numerous books, e.g., "Literary Success: Being a Guide to Practical Journalism" (1880) and "How to Write English: A Practical Treatise on English Composition" (1882).

In 1871, he married Ann Margaret Brightmore (1853–1922). He died on March 13, 1917, in Bucklow, Cheshire, England.