Hugo P. (Hugo Paul) Thieme

Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1870, he became an American literary critic, bibliographer, and professor whose career centered on French language and literature. He studied at Johns Hopkins University, earning an A.B. in 1893 and a Ph.D. in 1897, and joined the University of Michigan faculty in 1898 as an instructor in French.

Over the years, he rose through the ranks to become a full professor and was known especially for his work as a bibliographer. Among his best-known books are The Technique of the French Alexandrine and the Guide bibliographique de la littérature française de 1800 à 1906, works that reflect both close literary study and a strong gift for organizing scholarship.

He died in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1940. His published work still gives a good sense of his range: part teacher, part critic, and part guide for readers trying to find their way through French literary history.