W. G. (William George) Waters

William George Waters, usually published as W. G. Waters, was a British translator, biographer, and historian of Italian Renaissance art. Sources agree that he was born in September 1844 and died on June 17, 1928, and that he became especially known for introducing English readers to important Italian story collections and writers.

He is remembered as the first English translator of several major fifteenth-century Italian tale collections, including work connected with Straparola, Masuccio, and Ser Giovanni. He also wrote on Italian art and artists, with books on Piero della Francesca and Italian sculptors, showing a strong interest in both literature and visual culture.

For audiobook listeners, Waters is an appealing figure because he helped carry older Italian storytelling into modern English without losing its sense of adventure, wit, and historical texture. Even when writing as a scholar, he seems to have been drawn to lively stories and memorable personalities.