author
J. A. (John Alexander) Hammerton
1871–1949
A Scottish-born journalist and editor, he helped bring literature and general knowledge to a huge popular audience through ambitious reference works and story collections. His career ranged from newspaper reporting to the creation of some of the best-known mass-market encyclopedic publications of his day.
3 Audiobooks
The Call of the Town: A Tale of Literary Life
by J. A. (John Alexander) Hammerton
In the Track of R. L. Stevenson and Elsewhere in Old France
by J. A. (John Alexander) Hammerton
The real Argentine: Notes and Impressions of a Year in the Argentine and Uruguay
by J. A. (John Alexander) Hammerton
About the author
Born in Alexandria, Dunbartonshire, in 1871, John Alexander Hammerton began in journalism as a young reporter and later worked in Nottingham, where he met Arthur Mee. He went on to build a remarkable career as an editor and compiler of large-scale reference books, becoming closely associated with educational and literary publishing for a broad general readership.
Hammerton is especially remembered for making knowledge feel accessible. He edited and developed wide-ranging works including encyclopedic series and literary collections, and the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography describes him as an exceptionally successful creator of large reference works in Britain. He was knighted in 1912, a sign of how widely his publishing work was valued.
Alongside his editorial achievements, he also wrote books of his own, including memoirs about life in publishing. He died in London in 1949, leaving behind a body of work shaped by the idea that serious reading and useful information should be available to ordinary readers, not only specialists.