Aymer Vallance was commissioned to produce the first biography of Morris, published in 1897, after Morris' death, as per the latter's wishes. This presented the creation of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings as Morris' greatest achievement. Morris's next biographer was Burne-Jones' son-in-law John William Mackail, who authored the two-volume "Life of William Morris" (1899) in which he provided a sympathetic portrayal of Morris that largely omitted his political activities, treating them as a passing phase that Morris overcame.