Epiphanius Wilson

Born in 1845, Epiphanius Wilson was an English-born scholar, priest, and translator whose full name was William Epiphanius Wilson. Records associated with his work and authorship identify him with Liverpool, and later biographical listings connect him with residences in Newfoundland and the Bahamas before his death in New York in 1916.

He is best remembered for editing and translating volumes that introduced general readers to world literature, including collections on Egyptian, Hebrew, Japanese, Chinese, Hindu, Arabic, and Babylonian and Assyrian writing. His books circulated widely enough that many are still available through major public-domain collections, which shows how durable his role was as a mediator of older texts for modern readers.

Although some details of his life are sparse in easily confirmed sources, the surviving bibliographic record makes his legacy clear: he was one of those energetic late-19th-century literary figures who tried to open up a much wider world of reading for English audiences.