author
Richard Grant White
1821–1885
A sharp-tongued 19th-century critic and editor, he became one of America’s best-known voices on Shakespeare, language, and music. His essays and editions helped shape how many readers approached classic literature in his era.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in New York City, Richard Grant White was an American writer, editor, and critic best known for his work on Shakespeare. He studied at the University of the City of New York, trained in law, and was admitted to the bar, but he became far better known for literary journalism and criticism than for legal practice.
White wrote widely on literature, language, and music, and was regarded in his day as an important cultural critic. He worked in journalism and editing, helped found The World, and published influential Shakespeare studies and editions that brought him lasting recognition.
He is also remembered as the father of architect Stanford White. Though some of his opinions were famously forceful, his writing offers a lively window into American literary culture in the 1800s.