William A. McDermott

Born in 1863 and dying in 1913, William A. McDermott was an American author whose surviving bibliography shows a strong interest in literary culture and Catholic writing. His known books include Down at Caxton's and Birds and Books, and library records also connect him with A Round Table of the Representative American Catholic Novelists.

Down at Caxton's is remembered as a collection of sketches and essays on writers and literary life, while Birds and Books suggests another side of his interests: a fondness for the natural world and for the pleasures of reading. Taken together, the works paint a picture of a writer who enjoyed sharing enthusiasms rather than writing from a distance.

Reliable biographical details about McDermott appear to be limited online, so much of what can be said with confidence comes from library and public-domain book records. Even so, those records point to a distinctive voice from the turn of the 20th century, especially for listeners curious about American literary commentary with a Catholic thread running through it.