author
Sir Sidney Lee
1859–1926
A tireless literary scholar best known for shaping the Dictionary of National Biography, he also became one of the most widely read Shakespeare biographers of his time. His work helped bring English literary history to a broad audience without losing its scholarly backbone.
2 Audiobooks
Shakespeare and the Modern Stage; with Other Essays
by Sir Sidney Lee
A Life of William Shakespeare with portraits and facsimiles
by Sir Sidney Lee
About the author
Born in London in 1859, Sidney Lee was educated at the City of London School and at Balliol College, Oxford. He went on to build his reputation through the Dictionary of National Biography, joining it as assistant editor in 1883, later becoming joint editor and then editor, and contributing a remarkable number of entries himself.
Lee was especially known for his writing on Shakespeare and for his gift as a biographer. His books include an influential Life of William Shakespeare, and he also wrote on major public figures including Queen Victoria and King Edward VII. Across these works, he developed a reputation for energetic research and clear, accessible literary history.
He was knighted in 1911 and later served as professor of English language and literature at the University of London. Lee died in 1926, leaving behind a body of work that helped define modern biographical reference writing in Britain.