Lida Myrtle Williams

Lida Myrtle Williams was an American education writer born in 1877. She is chiefly remembered for How to Teach Phonics, a teaching guide first published in 1916 and later reissued in 1941, which presented phonics as a clear, systematic part of early reading instruction.

The 1916 title page identifies her as "Primary Supervisor and Instructor of Methods" at the Northern Normal and Industrial School in Aberdeen, South Dakota. That role fits the practical tone of her writing: she wrote for teachers who wanted orderly, usable classroom methods rather than theory alone.

Williams also wrote Picture Studies from Great Artists in 1917, showing that her interests reached beyond reading instruction into broader classroom culture and art appreciation. Available records tied to her books list her as Lida Myrtle Williams (1877–1968), but detailed biographical information about her life seems limited in the sources readily available online.