Abel Boyer

Born Pierre Abel de Boyer in Castres, France, on June 24, 1667, he left for England as a Protestant refugee after the pressures facing Huguenots in France. In England he built a career as a man of letters, writing in both French and English and becoming especially well known as a teacher, translator, and compiler of reference works.

Boyer is best remembered for his dictionaries and language manuals, which were widely used by readers trying to move between French and English. He also wrote historical and political works, showing a talent for explaining complicated subjects in a way that ordinary readers could follow.

He spent much of his working life in London literary circles and died at Chelsea, England, on November 16, 1729. Though not as famous now as some of his contemporaries, his practical books played an important role in the spread of bilingual learning and everyday scholarship.