W. P. (William Paton) Ker

Born in Glasgow on August 30, 1855, William Paton Ker studied at Glasgow Academy, the University of Glasgow, and Balliol College, Oxford. He was elected a fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, in 1879 and went on to build a distinguished academic career in literary studies.

Ker taught at University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire in Cardiff, later served as Quain Professor of English Language and Literature at University College London, and in 1920 became Oxford Professor of Poetry. He was widely respected as a scholar of English, Norse, and Scottish literature, and was also known as an essayist.

Among his best-known books are Epic and Romance and The Dark Ages. Readers have valued his writing for its breadth, intelligence, and ability to bring medieval and early literary traditions into clear view. He died on July 17, 1923.