author
John T. (John Thompson) Platts
1830–1904
A pioneering scholar of Persian, Urdu, and Hindi, he produced reference works that stayed useful long after his own time. His dictionary and grammars helped generations of students approach South Asian languages with greater clarity and confidence.
1 Audiobook
The Baitâl Pachchisi; Or, The Twenty-Five Tales of a Sprite Translated From the Hindi Text of Dr. Duncan Forbes
by John T. (John Thompson) Platts, Lallu Lal, active 1805 Mazhar Ali Khan Vila
About the author
Born in Calcutta on August 1, 1830, John Thompson Platts became a British language scholar whose work focused on Persian and Hindustani. After returning to India as a young man, he taught at Benares College and later served as headmaster of Government College, Benares, before continuing his academic career in Britain.
Platts is best remembered for books that combined practical teaching with serious scholarship. His A Grammar of the Hindustani or Urdu Language, his Persian grammar, and especially A Dictionary of Urdu, Classical Hindi, and English became widely known and remained valuable tools for students and readers.
Later in life he was elected teacher of Persian at the University of Oxford. He also published an edition and English translation of Sa'di's Golestan, adding to the body of work that made him an important bridge between English-speaking learners and the literary traditions of South Asia and Persia.