Robert Barr (1850-1912) was an English novelist, born at Glasgow, Scotland. He was educated at the Normal School of Toronto, Canada, was headmaster of the Central School, Windsor, Ontario, and in 1876 became a member of the staff of the Detroit Free Press, in which his contributions appeared under the signature "Luke Sharp." In 1881 he removed to London, to establish there the weekly English edition of the Free Press, and in 1892 joined Jerome K. Jerome in founding the Idler magazine, from whose coeditorship he retired in 1895.
In the Midst of Alarms is a story of the attempted Fenian invasion of Canada in 1866. A Woman Intervenes is a story of love, finance, and American journalism. Countess Tekla essayed the historical novel.