author
Lewis Campbell
1830–1908
Best known for bringing Sophocles and Plato to English readers, this Scottish classical scholar also wrote a warmly remembered life of physicist James Clerk Maxwell. His work blends careful scholarship with a gift for clear, readable prose.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in Edinburgh in 1830, Lewis Campbell became a Scottish writer, classical scholar, and teacher whose career moved between university life and the church. He studied at Glasgow and Oxford, later taught at Oxford, and went on to serve as Professor of Greek at the University of St Andrews.
Campbell is chiefly remembered for his editions, translations, and criticism of Greek literature, especially Sophocles and Plato. His work on Plato's Republic and his studies of Sophoclean drama helped make difficult ancient texts more approachable for students and general readers.
Beyond the classics, he also wrote a notable biography of his friend James Clerk Maxwell, showing the same thoughtful and humane style found in his literary scholarship. He died in 1908, leaving behind a body of work valued for both learning and readability.