John Lyde Wilson

Born in South Carolina in 1784, John Lyde Wilson trained as a lawyer and was admitted to the bar in 1807. He went on to build a political career in the state legislature and served as governor of South Carolina from 1822 to 1824.

Wilson is most remembered by modern readers as the author of The Code of Honor; or, Rules for the Government of Principals and Seconds in Duelling, first published in 1838. The short work laid out detailed rules for duels and became one of the best-known American texts on the practice, giving his writing an unusual place in both political and cultural history.

He died in 1849. For audiobook listeners, Wilson is an intriguing historical figure not because of literary fame in the usual sense, but because his work captures a striking piece of nineteenth-century public life, conflict, and etiquette.